Tag Archives: EU External Action service

Van Rompuy strikes a good balance

Posted on December 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Nobel Lecture when the EU received the 2012 Peace Prize was a speech in two chapters, the first delivered by Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the Council, and the second by Jose Barroso, President of the Commission. It was van Rompuy who addressed the issues I raised in yesterday’s post and he did it pretty well. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, The economic crunch

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The EU’s Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on December 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today, Monday 10 December, in Oslo City Hall and then in the banqueting rooms of the Grand Hotel in the evening, the European Union receives and celebrates the Nobel Peace Prize 2012.

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Posted in Conflict & peace

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Egypt and the outside powers

Posted on February 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

Now it is clear that Hosni Mubarak’s three decade presidency of Egypt cannot survive much longer, outside powers are visibly positioning themselves for the next phase. Hubristic temptations are clear but not everybody’s falling for them. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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EEAS update

Posted on December 10, 2010 | 1 Comment

News from Brussels: Council and Parliament still want the Commission’s policy and planning officers for peacebuilding and crisis response to transfer to the External Action service.  Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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EAS: officially launched but the tussle continues

Posted on December 3, 2010 | 1 Comment

The EU’s new External Action Service was officially launched on 1 December as High Representative Catherine Ashton addressed a meeting of EU ambassadors. But the tussle over whether it will include key peacebuilding staff from the Commission continues (see my post of 22 Nov). The Commission’s position hasn’t changed and neither has the Parliament’s. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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Time to rescue the EU’s External Action Service from the European Commission

Posted on November 22, 2010 | 2 Comments

The air in Brussels is thick with a storm over the European External Action Service, basically caused by the European Commission trying to break its word. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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The EAS: what it takes to succeed

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 2 Comments

Just before the summer shutdown, the last key decisions were taken to establish the EU’s new External Action Service – the European Parliament on 8 July and the Council of the EU on the 20th. As the EAS starts to become real, what can and should we expect from it? Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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After the UK election: international development and foreign policy

Posted on May 16, 2010 | 2 Comments

So the dust has settled, the first peacetime coalition in seven decades is in office and the work begins. What about UK international development policy under the new blue and yellow colours?

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Posted in International development

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EU’s External Action Service: options remain open

Posted on March 28, 2010 | 1 Comment

This past week the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton presented “her” proposal for the new European External Action Service (quotation marks on “her” because, of course, it is not hers alone – even in draft it is already a compromise). So far she has not won all her battles but nor has she lost them. In fact, those battles are not over. All options are open still and those of us who want a genuine Action service need to keep our sleeves rolled up and engage in the arguments ahead. Continue reading →

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Posted in Conflict & peace, Power

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Quiet start from EU High Rep Ashton? Good! Go for the long game

Posted on March 2, 2010 | 2 Comments

Baroness Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s High Representative, is facing a mountain of a job and a rockfall of criticism across Europe after her first 100 days. But most of the negativity is a matter of Brussels gossip, bruised little egos and out-dated thinking about international politics. Ashton has got things more right than her critics. Rightly, she is focused on the long game rather than short-term headlines (which some journalists find impossible to forgive and others equally impossible to understand).    Continue reading →

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Posted in Power

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