The EU's External Action Service Report

The 2009 Lisbon Treaty created the European External Action Service (EEAS) to support the work of the newly created post of High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission (HR/VP). This report assesses the developments in the two years since the formal launch of the EEAS in January 2011, and makes recommendations which are intended to contribute to the HR/VP's review of the Service in mid-2013. The report sets out 26 conclusions and recommendations, including: that the UK Government should look at ways in which EEAS could be used to its advantage in terms of saving costs or increasing influence; that Member States should clarify what they want the EEAS to do, which should include improved collection, use and dissemination of political intelligence and better co-ordination of the use of the EU's different instruments within particular regions.