This paper relates to my doctoral dissertation, in which I’m analyzing the European External Action Service (EEAS) as a diplomatic actor and its political significance in relation to the EU Member States’ diplomacies. The EEAS, established in 2011, consists of the Council, the Commission and Member State officials and is led by the High Representative. Its task is to ensure the consistency and efficiency of the EU's external action. Because the service is such a new innovation, it’s still a diplomatic system in the making. The structure of the EEAS resembles the structure of national MFAs, since it has its “Minister of Foreign Affairs”, it implements geographical and functional tasks, and it has delegations around the world. However, the service has features of development and defence ministries, and the personnel comes from different institutional backgrounds, which makes it a new kind of diplomatic actor that doesn’t fit into the old categories. Even though it’s often said that the EEAS gives an added value to national foreign policies, the relationship between the EEAS and national MFAs is quite vague and ambiguous. The Treaty says that the EEAS ‘shall work in cooperation with the diplomatic services of the Member States’. This leaves much room for interpretation. The discussion over the EEAS’ competences illustrates the tension between the intergovernmental and supranational aspects of the European integration.
