The external representation of the EU: towards a more democratic diplomacy?

My paper will look at the European External Affair Service (implemented in 2009) and assess its functioning in terms of "parliamentary control" and "democratic deficit". I will examine the procedures through which the Parliament has a say in the EEAS activities (nomination, budget, hearings, etc.). The creation of the EEAS had many consequences on the diplomatic representation of member states and the EU as well (Wagner, 2012). The EEAS modified substantially the relation between national and European actors of foreign policies, and might represent a new step towards the federalization of the EU foreign policy, as proposed in the debates on the European Defense Community (1949-1954). But what were the effects of the EEAS on the external representation of nation states and the EU? Did the organization rules promote criteria for balancing the conflicting interests of the EU and the 28 national members? Are the treaties sufficient, and sufficiently implemented, to guarantee the parliamentary oversight of the EU foreign policy? In the first part of my paper, I will answer these questions by looking at available archives, conducting interviews with MPs and EEAS agents, and selecting relevant examples (TFTA, the Ukraine crisis, ACP-EU treaty, etc...) In the second part, relying on my analysis of the existing institutions, I will propose some ideas to reform the EU institutions with three objectives: clarifying the external representation of the EU, strengthening the parliamentary oversight of the EU foreign policy, and designing democratic tools able to give voice to citizens in the EU foreign affairs.