EUROPE’S FOREIGN policy chief Catherine Ashton is preparing to put her stamp on the nascent EU diplomatic service with the imminent appointment of its top management team and mission chiefs in 30 countries.
The current round of appointments marks the first time that diplomats from member states can apply to lead EU delegations, filling ambassador-level posts that were previously the exclusive domain of European Commission officials.
The process has been characterised by intensive lobbying, as EU governments angle for early advancement in the fledgling European External Action Service (EAS), which is being established under the Lisbon reform treaty.
While about 12 Irish diplomats are known to have submitted applications for the head of mission postings, all but two were eliminated before Ms Ashton started face-to-face interviews this week with some 90 shortlisted candidates.
In addition to the Irish diplomats, three high-ranking Irish officials in the commission have been shortlisted for head of mission postings.
The appointments are ultimately in Ms Ashton’s gift, although informed opinion suggests a maximum of three posts might yet go to Irish applicants.
Ms Ashton had been expected to fill many of these posts by the end of this week after EU foreign ministers approved final plans for the EAS two days ago.
It now appears, however, that the appointments will not be finalised until the end of next month. “She wants to take her time about it,” said a source close to Ms Ashton.
In addition to the mission head appointments, Ms Ashton is also filling the post of EAS secretary general, two deputy secretary generals and a senior official responsible for budget and administration.
David O’Sullivan, the Irishman who is the top official in the trade division of the commission and was formerly the commission’s highest ranking civil servant, is widely held to be in contention for one of these posts.
As she prepares to make these appointments, Ms Ashton also plans to fill about 80 director-level positions in the EAS.
These jobs come below the ambassadorial rank and will shortly be advertised within the EU institutions and in the national diplomatic services of member states.
A further 22 chief of delegation postings are scheduled to come up next year as part of an existing staff rotation, with more vacancies to follow in 2012.
The selection process stands as an important rite of passage for the EAS, which is being created to provide crucial support to Ms Ashton in her effort to boost the union’s clout in the global arena.
Under the new system, former European Commission delegations in countries around the world are changing their legal status to become EU delegations under the umbrella of the EAS.
The selection process is the subject of considerable speculation in Brussels as officials throughout the EU apparatus try to gauge how member states perform in their efforts to place national diplomats at high levels in the new service.