Commission's Responsibilities
The European Commission managed to retain control over its competencies in aid (and its €6 billion a year budget), development, energy and enlargement. This gives the relevant Commissioners the lead in those areas and deputise for the HR when necessary. Although the service will have cells for the Commission's areas, decisions will have to be made jointly by the HR and the College of Commissioners.
However Ashton's draft plan for the EEAS include proposals for the EEAS to take responsibility for Neighbourhood Policy (currently assigned to the Enlargement Commissioner) and international development at least. Under a compromise with the Commission, it was agreed development would be split, with the EEAS taking on three of the five planning cycles from the Commission. How this division of labour will work in practice only began being tested in 2012 as the 2014-2020 programming exercise began.
The following Directorates-General (DGs) and Commissioners are not being merged and decisions in these areas require approval from the college of Commissioners:
- EuropeAid Development and Cooperation (inc ECHO): Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response (Kristalina Georgieva).
- DG Enlargement: Commissioner for Enlargement (Štefan Füle).
- DG Trade: Commissioner for Trade (Karel De Gucht).
- DG Energy: Commissioner for Energy (Günther Oettinger).
- Foreign Policy Instruments Service
Read more about this topic: European External Action Service
Famous quotes containing the word commission:
“The Church seems to totter to its fall, almost all life extinct. On this occasion, any complaisance would be criminal which told you, whose hope and commission it is to preach the faith of Christ, that the faith of Christ is preached.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)