EU foreign service starts to take shape

THE shape of the European Union’s foreign service became clearer after two days of discussions between its chief, Catherine Ashton, and the foreign ministers of the 27 member states.

The EU’s huge development budget will come under the new foreign service and Ashton will have a number of deputies to help her who most likely will be professional civil servants.

The ministers desperately tried to end the power struggles over the service being waged between the Union’s institutions: the Council representing the member states, the Commission and the European Parliament.