A Foreign Minister for the EU : But where’s the Ministry?

The debate about the mandate and institutional affiliation of the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs has, deservedly, attracted much attention.

However, an important aspect of the Minister's future work has not merited nearly enough attention; this is the role, shape and institutional affiliations of the European External Action Service that will support the minister. It is argued that this is not merely an administrative issue that can be addressed once the debate surrounding the 'minister' settles down, but one that potentially divisive since it will involve allocating roles and responsibilities to officials in the Council, Commission as well as the diplomatic services of the EU Member States. It is also observed that, following the Convention on the Future of Europe where external relations has played a prominent role, the Union has the historic opportunity to create a professional European diplomatic service to reflect the Union's expanding role in international affairs. Paying too much attention to the 'minister', and not enough to the 'ministry', is unlikely to enable the Union to assert its identity in a coherent manner on the international scene. This paper represents, it is hoped, an attempt to address this issue and, hopefully, will be a catalyst for further thought on this most important issue.