Irish diplomats in line for EU jobs

A NUMBER of senior Irish diplomats and officials are in line for top jobs in the new, EU external action service.

The move follows EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton getting backing from the Union’s 27 foreign ministers on how the Union’s 136 delegations throughout the world will be managed and structured.

The new service, which expands the role of the current EU external action force, is designed to allow members speak with one voice on issues they agree on and give them greater clout in world affairs.

Ministers agreed she should have the three secretaries general to run the service from Brussels. These positions (political director, executive director and operations director) are being hotly contested.

Currently, the French are frontrunners for one of them, with Irish man David O’Sullivan tipped to take a second and the third possibly going to a German or Dane.

Mr O’Sullivan is currently head of Trade in the European Commission, where he worked with Ms Ashton when she was Trade Commissioner. She favours him for either the post of political or executive director, according to sources.