551 Natividad Fernández Sola The proposed reform of the european external actions service and its implications for the european union‘s security policy scope of EU external action and its visibility. Although it has members that do not belong to the EEAS, such as those in charge of trade policy, the effectiveness of the representative work of the Union is guaranteed by the Delegation Head, who coordinates the activities of all its members and receives instructions from the High Representative and the EEAS or the Commission for the powers granted by Treaties, and is responsible of their execution in the host country. With regard to what concerns us here, EU action in foreign and common security policy and humanitarian intervention can achieve greater visibility and credibility with the support of the head of the delegation45 over the territory of the state in which an EU mission is engaging. Even if it lacks powers in the specific field of CSDP missions and operations being developed in the zone, and is involved in the command chain, it can serve as a local political guide to the head of the operation, who has the obligation to coordinate and consult his action insofar as it generates an impact in the political sphere. Besides the Delegations should constitute an important added value for the European External Action Service if they are equipped with a good information service equally useful to the Commission and the Member States46. It has also been suggested that the European Delegations should assume responsibility for the protection of civilians and intervention in situations of crisis or humanitarian aid47, which contrasts with the Delegations’ shortage of personnel and financial means for such tasks . An agreement between the Member States recognising that the Head of the EU Delegation would preside over meetings of the national representatives in a third country would serve as a basis for the coordination of the activities of their embassies. And that is what happens in places where a mission from the European Union is deployed, or in conflictive areas like Nairobi, Kampala, Sana’a, Cairo, Tripoli… The Lisbon Treaty provides for the organisation of a combined effort for the evacuation of 45 When the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect, the EU delegations assumed the responsibilities under CSDP and, consequently, broadened their agenda to embrace all issues which allowed for a global relationship with the host countries. It also gave strategic depth and stability to its coordination work. 46 The EU Delegations are far from alleged European embassies, whose presence would exercise greater influence on third countries and would permit the drafting of joint diplomatic initiatives. See “Towards the Establishment of a Common European Diplomacy, paper by Mr. Iñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO, member of the Convention”, Working Group VII, working document 55, 3/XII/2002, p. 5. In a similar vein, the written Declaration of agreement with article 116 of the internal regulation of the European parliament of E. Brok, N. Fontaine, B. Geremek, J. Leinen e I. Méndez of Vigo, Foreign Policy, Security and Defense Union. PE 0010/2007, 31/I/2007. 47 BARNIER, Michel. “For a European Civil Protection Force: Europeaid”, May, 2006. To date the only competence transferred to the EEAS is that relating to consular protection, but only on request by the Member States as established in article 5.10 of the 2010 Decision establishing the Service, cit.
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