The Finnish government has published a customary press release with general information about an upcoming meeting of the Council of the European Union, this time the General Affairs Council on Monday, 7 December 2009. In addition to the Finnish and Swedish versions, there is one in English:
Government Communications Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
4.12.2009 12.46
General Affairs Council to discuss European Council preparations and EU enlargement
The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 7 December. Main themes of the meeting include preparations for the European Council, and EU enlargement. Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors and Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will represent Finland at the meeting.
With the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council was divided into two, forming the General Affairs Council and the Foreign Affairs Council. In accordance with the division of duties in the Government, the Minister of European Affairs and, in issues pertaining to enlargement, the Foreign Minister will represent Finland at the General Affairs Council.
Following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the main function of the General Affairs Council is to prepare for European Council meetings. The December European Council is to focus on the Copenhagen conference on climate change. Finland aims at reaching an ambitious and comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen. The EU should decide on a clear negotiating mandate and establish a schedule that aims, as far as possible, at finalising a legally binding agreement within six months. It is particularly important to reach agreement on short-term climate finance. EU Heads of State or Government will also consider the issue of adopting a more stringent emission reduction target, and discuss the economic, financial and employment situation. The previous General Affairs Council made preparations for the European Council on further measures with regard to the Lisbon Strategy and on the Sustainable Development Strategy.
The Council is to adopt conclusions on EU membership candidates and the Western Balkan countries. In October, the Commission released its annual enlargement package including an enlargement strategy along with progress reports on candidate countries and potential candidate countries. Enlargement has strengthened democracy and promoted the development of rule of law in Europe. It has also increased the Union’s capabilities to respond to global challenges. Finland supports the conclusions of the Commission’s enlargement package and highlights the importance of keeping to the enlargement consensus adopted in 2006. Finland also supports the Commission's proposal to open accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Ministers will be presented with the 18-month programme of the Council, prepared by Spain, Belgium and Hungary. The Union’s key challenges include further measures with regard to the Lisbon Strategy, the reform of financial supervision, the social agenda, and the implementation of the climate and energy package and that of the Stockholm Programme.
Further information: Sanna Ek, Adviser, EU Affairs, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2150 and Juha Ottman, Director, Unit for EU Enlargement and Western Balkans, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5784
Swedish Presidency and Council
The web page of the Swedish presidency still bears the headline General Affairs and External Relations. It offers a presentation of the main issues at the General Affairs Council.
There are also links to the preliminary agenda of the GAC meeting and as well as a brief background note on the main issues.
***
Under the Lisbon Treaty, the General Affairs Council is the coordinating body ahead of European Council meetings, and the one ensure follow-up of decisions taken there. The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) is the other Council configuration directly mentioned in the treaty.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
Blogs by organisations or individuals on EU affairs and European themes can join Bloggingportal.eu. Gain visibility and readers by proposing a new blog.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Eurosphere, Euroblog Meet-up and Bloggingportal.eu
Here are some thoughts about the Eurosphere (European public space) after the Euroblog Meet-up initiated by Joe Litobarski, leading to some suggestions concerning limited, but concrete action to improve Bloggingportal.eu by attracting new blogs with a European perspective.
Afterthoughts
Reading this the morning after, the Google Wave discussion got started when I was already at sleep.
I think there were some good ideas, which can grow into something. Nosemonkey's suitably realistic thoughts are a counterweight to pie in the sky.
Social get-togethers between eurobloggers, through Wave, Twitter, Skype and face to face are all good to promote a sense of community.
Small, but concrete
With regard to practical work and possible achievements, I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to do something limited and concrete, rather than create new systems. (These will appear, if the euroblogosphere becomes bigger and more dynamic.)
"Keep it simple, stupid!" tells me that Bloggingportal.eu already exists, and that there is room for new blogs from the EU member states.
Since the idea behind Bloggingportal.eu is to promote discussion on EU themes, or with a European dimension, one natural ally would be to ask the European organisations (Young Federalists, European Movement) to spread the word:
They may have more official blogs, but there are also bloggers among their activists and members.
In my view, these are natural links between national and pan-EU debates on European issues.
***
There is nothing wrong in presenting and discussing the EU institutions:
First of all, I'm guilty as charged, and there are considerable numbers of students engaged in various EU studies (politics, law, economics, communication).
Secondly, the general lack of knowledge about how the European Union is set up and how it works is astounding. (Otherwise the anti-EU part of British media would never get away with their distortions, and the comments sections would not look like crude caricatures of war time propaganda.)
But there are European aspects to practically every area of life, and almost all national level organisations have someone who is engaged with EU level questions or EU projects.
The list is almost endless: Sports, culture, education, business, women...
EU structural funds, agriculture (CAP), fisheries, research, student exchange (Erasmus)...
***
Languages: Someone wrote that all these discussions lead to the issue of languages. Why make it into a problem? Bloggingportal.eu already is multilingual.
(By the way, the greatest unrecognised language in the EU is Russian [not unimportant outside, either]. Could it be added?)
The bloggers themselves are free to choose. Some want to discuss in English (or one of the more widely spoken languages), others in their mother tongue.
I think it's a great system, offering freedom of choice.
If Bloggingportal.eu manages to attract more bloggers, in various languages, the readers have the opportunity to read blogs in other languages, too, which means crossing borders mentally.
Many times more people are able to read one or more foreign languages, than are able to write for publication.
There are also about 10 million intra-EU expats, who live in cross-border situations culturally.
Even if there are expat forums, which are country-specific, I think there would be room for bloggers who specialise in EU level issues related to living in another member state.
More generally, when comparing the host of EU Council meetings these last days and the serious under-reporting in national media (except for a few headline-grabbing dramas) and in blogs, I find that there is an awful lot of room for blogs with some sort of focus on a certain policy area, or even an aspect of one.
Questions and suggestions
1. Should Bloggingportal.eu do something to attract more bloggers, from different EU member states?
2. If so, what can be done?
3. If something can be done: How?
Ralf Grahn
Afterthoughts
Reading this the morning after, the Google Wave discussion got started when I was already at sleep.
I think there were some good ideas, which can grow into something. Nosemonkey's suitably realistic thoughts are a counterweight to pie in the sky.
Social get-togethers between eurobloggers, through Wave, Twitter, Skype and face to face are all good to promote a sense of community.
Small, but concrete
With regard to practical work and possible achievements, I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to do something limited and concrete, rather than create new systems. (These will appear, if the euroblogosphere becomes bigger and more dynamic.)
"Keep it simple, stupid!" tells me that Bloggingportal.eu already exists, and that there is room for new blogs from the EU member states.
Since the idea behind Bloggingportal.eu is to promote discussion on EU themes, or with a European dimension, one natural ally would be to ask the European organisations (Young Federalists, European Movement) to spread the word:
They may have more official blogs, but there are also bloggers among their activists and members.
In my view, these are natural links between national and pan-EU debates on European issues.
***
There is nothing wrong in presenting and discussing the EU institutions:
First of all, I'm guilty as charged, and there are considerable numbers of students engaged in various EU studies (politics, law, economics, communication).
Secondly, the general lack of knowledge about how the European Union is set up and how it works is astounding. (Otherwise the anti-EU part of British media would never get away with their distortions, and the comments sections would not look like crude caricatures of war time propaganda.)
But there are European aspects to practically every area of life, and almost all national level organisations have someone who is engaged with EU level questions or EU projects.
The list is almost endless: Sports, culture, education, business, women...
EU structural funds, agriculture (CAP), fisheries, research, student exchange (Erasmus)...
***
Languages: Someone wrote that all these discussions lead to the issue of languages. Why make it into a problem? Bloggingportal.eu already is multilingual.
(By the way, the greatest unrecognised language in the EU is Russian [not unimportant outside, either]. Could it be added?)
The bloggers themselves are free to choose. Some want to discuss in English (or one of the more widely spoken languages), others in their mother tongue.
I think it's a great system, offering freedom of choice.
If Bloggingportal.eu manages to attract more bloggers, in various languages, the readers have the opportunity to read blogs in other languages, too, which means crossing borders mentally.
Many times more people are able to read one or more foreign languages, than are able to write for publication.
There are also about 10 million intra-EU expats, who live in cross-border situations culturally.
Even if there are expat forums, which are country-specific, I think there would be room for bloggers who specialise in EU level issues related to living in another member state.
More generally, when comparing the host of EU Council meetings these last days and the serious under-reporting in national media (except for a few headline-grabbing dramas) and in blogs, I find that there is an awful lot of room for blogs with some sort of focus on a certain policy area, or even an aspect of one.
Questions and suggestions
1. Should Bloggingportal.eu do something to attract more bloggers, from different EU member states?
2. If so, what can be done?
3. If something can be done: How?
Ralf Grahn
Bloggers of Europe, unite!
I, Resolved to add a few thoughts to the Euroblog Meet-up initiated by Joe Litobarski,
Drawing inspiration from the historic rallying call of the Communist Manifesto,
Recalling the amusement provided by the creation and propagation of the EUSSR myth,
Confirming my attachment to the vision of a vibrant Eurosphere,
Confirming my attachment to the languages of the European Union,
Desiring to encourage bloggers to read and discuss European issues of common concern,
Desiring to facilitate communication by and with EU citizens living in another member state,
Resolved to promote unity in diversity among Eurobloggers,
Have, with the sole voice of a citizen, in good and due form, decided to call on organisations and individuals active in European affairs to list their blogs on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu.
Done at leisure on the fourth day of December in the year two thousand and nine.
List of signatory reproduced: Ralf Grahn, EU citizen
Drawing inspiration from the historic rallying call of the Communist Manifesto,
Recalling the amusement provided by the creation and propagation of the EUSSR myth,
Confirming my attachment to the vision of a vibrant Eurosphere,
Confirming my attachment to the languages of the European Union,
Desiring to encourage bloggers to read and discuss European issues of common concern,
Desiring to facilitate communication by and with EU citizens living in another member state,
Resolved to promote unity in diversity among Eurobloggers,
Have, with the sole voice of a citizen, in good and due form, decided to call on organisations and individuals active in European affairs to list their blogs on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu.
Done at leisure on the fourth day of December in the year two thousand and nine.
List of signatory reproduced: Ralf Grahn, EU citizen
Thursday, 3 December 2009
European Council’s Rules of Procedure (Contents: Articles 1 to 3)
The new Rules of Procedure of the European Council are fairly short, 14 Articles on four pages. They build on the treaty provisions, while adding some detail outlining the work of the European Council, which has formally become an EU institution under the Lisbon Treaty.
The European Council sets the course for the European Union politically, and it makes certain decisions mentioned in the treaties, although it does not exercise legislative functions.
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 adopting its Rules of Procedure (2009/882/EU) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/51).
Main points
Here is an overview of the contents of the Rules of Procedure of the European Council, the first three Articles.
Article 1 Notice and venue of meetings: Ordinarily, the European Council is convened by its President to two meetings in Brussels during six months. Extraordinarily, the European Council can hold special meetings and meetings outside Brussels.
Article 2 Preparation for and follow-up to the proceedings of the European Council: The General Affairs Council is the coordinating Council configuration for the President and the European Council, and the GAC (still chaired by the rotating Presidency) is the main responsible for the follow-up to meetings.
Regular meetings and coordination are foreseen between the President, the rotating Presidency of the Council and the President of the Commission.
In case of vacancy or impediment, the President of the European Council is replaced by the member representing the rotating Presidency.
Article 3 Agenda and preparation: The President submits an annotated draft agenda to the General Affairs Council at least four weeks before each meeting of the European Council.
The other Council configurations shall forward their contributions to the GAC at least two weeks ahead of the European Council meeting.
The President prepares draft guidelines, conclusions and decisions of the European Council, for discussion in the GAC.
After a final GAC meeting, the President draws up the provisional agenda for the European Council.
Only exceptionally are other Council configurations allowed to discuss issues on the European Council’s agenda between the final GAC meeting and the European Council.
The final agenda is adopted by the European Council at the beginning of its meeting, and “surprise items” are generally not allowed.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
The European Council sets the course for the European Union politically, and it makes certain decisions mentioned in the treaties, although it does not exercise legislative functions.
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 adopting its Rules of Procedure (2009/882/EU) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/51).
Main points
Here is an overview of the contents of the Rules of Procedure of the European Council, the first three Articles.
Article 1 Notice and venue of meetings: Ordinarily, the European Council is convened by its President to two meetings in Brussels during six months. Extraordinarily, the European Council can hold special meetings and meetings outside Brussels.
Article 2 Preparation for and follow-up to the proceedings of the European Council: The General Affairs Council is the coordinating Council configuration for the President and the European Council, and the GAC (still chaired by the rotating Presidency) is the main responsible for the follow-up to meetings.
Regular meetings and coordination are foreseen between the President, the rotating Presidency of the Council and the President of the Commission.
In case of vacancy or impediment, the President of the European Council is replaced by the member representing the rotating Presidency.
Article 3 Agenda and preparation: The President submits an annotated draft agenda to the General Affairs Council at least four weeks before each meeting of the European Council.
The other Council configurations shall forward their contributions to the GAC at least two weeks ahead of the European Council meeting.
The President prepares draft guidelines, conclusions and decisions of the European Council, for discussion in the GAC.
After a final GAC meeting, the President draws up the provisional agenda for the European Council.
Only exceptionally are other Council configurations allowed to discuss issues on the European Council’s agenda between the final GAC meeting and the European Council.
The final agenda is adopted by the European Council at the beginning of its meeting, and “surprise items” are generally not allowed.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
European Council’s new Rules of Procedure
Too boring? Not if you are interested in how the European Union really works.
The European Commission still proposes and administers in the policy areas of the late European Community, and the European Parliament likes to quote how it has gained the role of a co-equal lawmaker in almost all areas of legislation (roughly the same patch as the Commission).
Still, the European Union is based on the member states. They are represented in the Council and the European Council, which in tandem form the most important institutional force. They have reserved the powers to act or to prevent action in decisive areas (beyond legislation), such as treaty change; resources (long term budget); foreign, security and defence policy.
Even where the Commission and the EP are more or less excluded, various unanimity rules (consensus) often prevent Council action, at least beyond the convoy principle, going at the pace of the slowest, while the European Union remains a giant on clay feet, a “hobbled giant” to use the words of the US National Intelligence Council (NIC).
European Council
The European Council, where the heads of state or government meet, formally became an institution of the European Union, when the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009.
The basic treaty provisions are Article 13(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which lists the European Council among the EU institutions, and Article 15 TEU, which contains the tasks and main rules with regard to the European Council.
Impetus, general political directions and priorities (paragraph 1) describe the crucial role of the European Council, the pinnacle of what the European Union does and fails to do. The main tasks of the semi-permanent President of the European Council are to drive forward the work and to give it continuity:
***
European Council’s new Rules of Procedure
We humans seem to be highly susceptible to personality contests and the drama of great political controversies. Even in more serious literature “boring” documents, such as Rules of Procedure, tend to get scant notice, even if they form the basis for thousands of decisions, conclusions and policy positions annually.
In other words, the new European Council’s Rules of Procedure are among the important pieces of secondary legislation in the European Union, even if the decision and the annexed rules – five pages in all – offer only a bare outline of how European Council business is conducted.
With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it became necessary to adopt Rules of Procedure for the European Council (Article 235(3) TFEU). Signing the decision was one of the first official acts in office for the president Herman Van Rompuy:
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 adopting its Rules of Procedure (2009/882/EU) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/31).
Later we are going to take a look at the contents of the European Council’s Rules of Procedure.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
The European Commission still proposes and administers in the policy areas of the late European Community, and the European Parliament likes to quote how it has gained the role of a co-equal lawmaker in almost all areas of legislation (roughly the same patch as the Commission).
Still, the European Union is based on the member states. They are represented in the Council and the European Council, which in tandem form the most important institutional force. They have reserved the powers to act or to prevent action in decisive areas (beyond legislation), such as treaty change; resources (long term budget); foreign, security and defence policy.
Even where the Commission and the EP are more or less excluded, various unanimity rules (consensus) often prevent Council action, at least beyond the convoy principle, going at the pace of the slowest, while the European Union remains a giant on clay feet, a “hobbled giant” to use the words of the US National Intelligence Council (NIC).
European Council
The European Council, where the heads of state or government meet, formally became an institution of the European Union, when the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009.
The basic treaty provisions are Article 13(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which lists the European Council among the EU institutions, and Article 15 TEU, which contains the tasks and main rules with regard to the European Council.
Impetus, general political directions and priorities (paragraph 1) describe the crucial role of the European Council, the pinnacle of what the European Union does and fails to do. The main tasks of the semi-permanent President of the European Council are to drive forward the work and to give it continuity:
Article 15 TEU
1. The European Council shall provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and shall define the general political directions and priorities thereof. It shall not exercise legislative functions.
2. The European Council shall consist of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, together with its President and the President of the Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy shall take part in its work.
3. The European Council shall meet twice every six months, convened by its President. When the agenda so requires, the members of the European Council may decide each to be assisted by a minister and, in the case of the President of the Commission, by a member of the Commission. When the situation so requires, the President shall convene a special meeting of the European Council.
4. Except where the Treaties provide otherwise, decisions of the European Council shall be taken by consensus.
5. The European Council shall elect its President, by a qualified majority, for a term of two and a half years, renewable once. In the event of an impediment or serious misconduct, the European Council can end the President's term of office in accordance with the same procedure.
6. The President of the European Council:
(a) shall chair it and drive forward its work;
(b) shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European Council in cooperation with the President of the Commission, and on the basis of the work of the General Affairs Council;
(c) shall endeavour to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council;
(d) shall present a report to the European Parliament after each of the meetings of the European Council.
The President of the European Council shall, at his level and in that capacity, ensure the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The President of the European Council shall not hold a national office.
***
European Council’s new Rules of Procedure
We humans seem to be highly susceptible to personality contests and the drama of great political controversies. Even in more serious literature “boring” documents, such as Rules of Procedure, tend to get scant notice, even if they form the basis for thousands of decisions, conclusions and policy positions annually.
In other words, the new European Council’s Rules of Procedure are among the important pieces of secondary legislation in the European Union, even if the decision and the annexed rules – five pages in all – offer only a bare outline of how European Council business is conducted.
With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it became necessary to adopt Rules of Procedure for the European Council (Article 235(3) TFEU). Signing the decision was one of the first official acts in office for the president Herman Van Rompuy:
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 adopting its Rules of Procedure (2009/882/EU) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/31).
Later we are going to take a look at the contents of the European Council’s Rules of Procedure.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Catherine Ashton High Representative of the (European) Union (official decision)
The political EU freaks have watched the preliminary grilling by the European Parliament of Baroness Ahston, but your humble blog servant has been looking for official references, useful for students mindful of their importance in academia, at least until achieving guru status.
New High Rep
Article 1 of the decision by the European Council says it like this:
Baroness Catherine Margaret ASHTON OF UPHOLLAND is hereby appointed High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the period from 1 December 2009 until the end of the current term of office of the Commission.
Here is the official decision:
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION taken with the agreement of the President of the Commission
of 1 December 2009 appointing the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2009/880/EU), published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/49).
HR’s tasks
The bare essentials of the High Representative’s tasks are presented in Article 27 TEU (in the consolidated version of the Lisbon Treaty, OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115/32):
***
Naturally, the European Union does not let matters rest there. More detailed provisions are crafted with regard to the interaction between the EU’s new chief diplomat, the member states and the EU institutions.
We have mentioned the approved guidelines earlier. A final proposal is expected next spring.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
New High Rep
Article 1 of the decision by the European Council says it like this:
Baroness Catherine Margaret ASHTON OF UPHOLLAND is hereby appointed High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the period from 1 December 2009 until the end of the current term of office of the Commission.
Here is the official decision:
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION taken with the agreement of the President of the Commission
of 1 December 2009 appointing the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2009/880/EU), published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/49).
HR’s tasks
The bare essentials of the High Representative’s tasks are presented in Article 27 TEU (in the consolidated version of the Lisbon Treaty, OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115/32):
Article 27 TEU
1. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who shall chair the Foreign Affairs Council, shall contribute through his proposals towards the preparation of the common foreign and security policy and shall ensure implementation of the decisions adopted by the European Council and the Council.
2. The High Representative shall represent the Union for matters relating to the common foreign and security policy. He shall conduct political dialogue with third parties on the Union's behalf and shall express the Union's position in international organisations and at international conferences.
3. In fulfilling his mandate, the High Representative shall be assisted by a European External Action Service. This service shall work in cooperation with the diplomatic services of the Member States and shall comprise officials from relevant departments of the General Secretariat of the Council and of the Commission as well as staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the Member States. The organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service shall be established by a decision of the Council. The Council shall act on a proposal from the High Representative after consulting the European Parliament and after obtaining the consent of the Commission.
***
Naturally, the European Union does not let matters rest there. More detailed provisions are crafted with regard to the interaction between the EU’s new chief diplomat, the member states and the EU institutions.
We have mentioned the approved guidelines earlier. A final proposal is expected next spring.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
Herman Van Rompuy President of the European Council (official decision)
Here is the official version of one of the implementing decisions regarding the Lisbon Treaty, taken under the Swedish presidency of the EU Council.
EUROPEAN COUNCIL DECISION of 1 December 2009 electing the President of the European Council (2009/879/EU) has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU 2.12.2009 L 315/48).
Mr Herman Van Rompuy has been elected, and his term in office is from 1 December 2009 to 31 May 2012.
***
President’s tasks
According to the Lisbon Treaty, Article 15(5) TEU the term is two and a half years, renewable once.
The tasks of the President of the European Council are outlined in Article 15(6) TEU:
6. The President of the European Council:
(a) shall chair it and drive forward its work;
(b) shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European Council in cooperation with the President of the Commission, and on the basis of the work of the General Affairs Council;
(c) shall endeavour to facilitate cohesion and consensus within the European Council;
(d) shall present a report to the European Parliament after each of the meetings of the European Council.
The President of the European Council shall, at his level and in that capacity, ensure the external representation of the Union on issues concerning its common foreign and security policy, without prejudice to the powers of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The President of the European Council shall not hold a national office.
***
More information on the new institutional arrangements (implementing decisions) will follow on Grahnlaw.
Ralf Grahn
P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Educate yourself! There are already 488 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. You can access all the posts on the Posts page or concentrate on the editors’ choice of articles on the Home page. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.
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