Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
When I appeared before your Committee on 9 December
last year, I undertook to follow-up with some further information
in respect of two issues.
The Committee asked whether the European External
Action Service (EEAS) would take over the EU Military Committee.
The EU Military Committee is a Council body, like the Political
and Security Committee or COREPER, and I fully expect it to remain
so. The Chair of the EU Military Committee is appointed by the
Council following a recommendation from the EU Military Committee
Chiefs of Defence and we expect that it will continue to be chaired
according to these arrangements.
You also asked me to pass on any further information
I had in respect of the small team that has been advising Baroness
Ashton on the work that she has been doing since her appointment.
In addition to her Cabinet, Baroness Ashton is currently able
to draw on the assistance of those parts of the Commission and
Council Secretariat that lead on external relations, predominantly
Directorate-General RELEX and the Council Secretariat's Directorate-General
External, as well as the EU Delegations. To support her specifically
in preparing the draft proposal on the establishment of the EEAS,
Baroness Ashton has also set up a high level group (the `Ashton
Group'). The Group consists of senior members of the Council and
the Commission and three COREPER (ie Member State) Ambassadors.Baroness
Ashton has made it clear that the work on the Decision to establish
the EEAS will be taken forward in full consultation and in close
co-operation with the member states.
Rt Hon David Miliband MP
13 January 2010
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