EU FOREIGN policy chief Catherine Ashton is trying to smooth over sharp divisions between European governments and the EU Commission over the structure and powers of the diplomatic corps that she will command.
Against the backdrop of diplomatic turf battles over the shape of the European External Action Service (EAS), Baroness Ashton made only a brief reference to the tensions between EU governments and the union’s executive branch as foreign ministers gathered here for a biannual informal meeting.
Many participants in the talks believe Baroness Ashton – who was appointed late last year to the new office of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – may not be able to forge a deal on the EAS until long after she formalises her own proposals next month.
Among numerous other unresolved questions, there are significant differences over the extent of powers that move from the Commission to the EAS. While the Commission is reluctant to cede power to a new autonomous body, Baroness Ashton is under pressure from European governments to maximise the strength of the EAS.
The talks are tricky for Baroness Ashton, who is a vice-president of the Commission but also answers to EU members.
Last night, however, she rejected suggestions that the Commission’s negotiating stance had put her in an uncomfortable position and attempted to put a positive slant on the tensions.
The talks process required input from many EU institutions, she told reporters.
“We’re getting together and collaborating around those different ideas and making it, if you like, fit so that all the institutions are comfortable with it. That means you’ll see differences, and then you’ll see synthesis of those differences.
“I want to pay tribute to all the institutions, to the commission, the foreign affairs council and to the parliament, who have been very busy and active in giving me ideas and thoughts. I think that’s really positive, not negative.”
Many European governments have urged Baroness Ashton to hold strong in talks with the Commission. Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin last night said the Commission would have to “share responsibilities” when the EAS is established.
“It has to be particularly generous in relation to the office of the High Representative in my view in terms of the role and functions,” he said of the Commission.
Asked whether that meant the Commission had not been generous in the talks, he said “I’m not saying that at all”. Tensions were inevitable where new offices were being established, he added.
Baroness Ashton is charged with developing the EAS at the same time as she faces the difficult challenge of establishing herself on the European and global stage as the EU’s top diplomat.
A relative newcomer to international diplomacy, she has faced criticism in recent weeks over the appointment of a close aide to commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso as EU ambassador in Washington.
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt and his British counterpart, David Miliband, have urged Baroness Ashton to use the gathering here to check the direction of talks on the EAS and ensure the new body meets its aim of boosting the EU’s global role.
Baroness Ashton said their remarks – in a widely-leaked letter – were “helpful as far as I’m concerned because it sets out some of the issues”. She went on: “Equally, the commission has also been coming forward with its ideas ... It’s very important that we get people’s ideas . . .”
