"The Union of European Federalists (UEF) at its meeting on June 5 and 6 in Brussels, expressed its concern on the serious delay in setting up the External Action Service. This hampers the EU's efforts to be a credible player in international affairs at a time of growing insecurity. UEF urges the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament to rapidly settle their internal disputes so that the EAS can become operational and Catherine Ashton enabled to do her job.
UEF also underlines the need for the EAS to become as an efficient, coherent, transparent democratically accountable European diplomatic service, which is given the necessary means for conducting an active European foreign policy, in particular in the areas of conflict prevention, peace-building, civilian and military crisis management and disarmament."
END
UEF Bureau Brussels 5 - 6 June 2010
