Research Papers

The Treaty of Lisbon has introduced significant institutional changes in the realm of the EU’s external relations, including the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) of the European Union (EU) (a ‘double-hatted’ position firmly anchored in both the European Commission and the Council), and a EU-‘owned’ diplomatic service (i.e., the European External Action Service; EEAS). Both innovations present instances of institutional fusion. Yet, where the former primarily seeks to integrate capacity and expertise from two European institutions, the latter pursues a more ambitious approach by bringing EU institutions and Member States’ bureaucracies closer together. Indeed, part of its staff (60%) has been automatically transferred from two European institutions (i.e., Council Secretariat and Commission), while 40% is being recruited from the Member States (primarily, though not exclusively, from foreign ministries). Such fusion obviously raises important questions as to institutional engineering, ‘joint services’ and ‘whole-of-government’ approaches. While these have been raised in the literature, another central aspect has thus far been neglected: What effects does the EEAS’ creation have for the diplomatic services of the Member States in the medium- and long-term? Drawing on explorative interviews with Member States’ administrators charged with organising the temporary assignment of MS diplomats to the EEAS, this paper investigates how Member States are adjusting to the existence of the new diplomatic service. One important aspect within this broad project relates to the temporary assignment of national diplomats, and how the process of their selection is organized within (and across) Member States.