By Martin Banks - 5th May 2011
It is important for the other institutions of the EU to take this new change in culture into account
Maros Sefcovic
Senior UK deputy Andrew Duff has voiced concern about the long-term viability of the EU's new diplomatic corps, the European external action service (EAS).
The EAS, headed by EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, was set up over a year ago with the aim of being the bloc's "voice" on the international stage.
But the service has been dogged by a generally bad international press and, speaking in Brussels, Duff said he "feared" for its chances of succeeding in the long term.
ALDE deputy Duff said that MEPs demands for Ashton to appoint political deputies to stand in for her on her many overseas trips had been borne out by experience.
"What we said on this has proved to be absolutely correct," said the MEP, who was addressing a debate on the "strategic partnership" between parliament and the commission.
He said that to have a chance of succeeding, the EAS needed resources which he said were currently "insufficient."
Duff, a constitutional expert, called on the commission to "fully back the development" of the service.
He also made a less than favourable assessment of the relationship between the parliament and another institution set up by the Lisbon treaty, the European council, which is headed by Herman Van Rompuy.
He said parliament had yet to "fully assess" how it will "cope with this new creature".
Duff said that while Van Rompuy regularly spoke to MEPs - "more than we initially expected" - the former Belgian PM is not accountable to the parliament.
"For instance, while it appears we can ask questions about his activities, at least his public ones, he does not have to explain to us the formulation of a council decision," said Duff.
"It is true to say that the parliament is far from having a settled relationship with Mr Van Rompuy and that the European council is still a work in progress."
Speaking at the same event, Maroš Šefcovic, the commission vice-president for inter-institutional relations and administration, said that parliament had been a "major winner" of the post-Lisbon period.
The treaty, he said, had given parliament significant new powers, particularly in budgets, trade and agriculture.
Parliament, he said, had shown in the past year that it is ready to use these new competences "decisively and dynamically".
He said that different DGs in the commission now realised that they must fully consult parliamentary committees on certain issue, such as trade, as they have in the past with the council.
"It is important for the other institutions of the EU to take this new change in culture into account," he added.
The debate was organised by a Brussels-based think-tank, the European Policy Centre.
