Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)

The 2009 Lisbon Treaty did much to strengthen the Union’s activities in the area of external action. First, it created the post of High Representative (HR) of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In 2010, Catherine Ashton became the first person appointed to that position. She was succeeded on the 1st of November 2014 by Federica Mogherini.

And, second, the Treaty established the European External Action Service (EEAS). Operational since 2011, it is essentially the EU’s new diplomatic service, assisting the HR in the conduct of EU foreign policy. Notably, the EEAS runs the network of 141 EU Delegations around the world.

The EEAS works to ensure the consistency and coordination of the Union's external action, preparing policy proposals and implementing them after their approval by the European Council.

Alongside the EEAS, a new European Commission service, the service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), was set up to take over responsibility for operational expenditure.

Today, under the authority of HR Federica Mogherini, and working very closely with the EEAS and EU delegations, the FPI is tasked with:

+ Implementing the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) budget;
+ Implementing crisis response and prevention measures financed under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP);
+ Implementing the Partnership Instrument (PI), designed to promote the Union's strategic interests worldwide
+ Implementing co-operation with industrialised countries (ICI);
+ Implementing electoral observation missions under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
+ Preparing and implementing sanction proposals;
+ Implementing at EU level the Kimberley Process certification scheme; and
+ Working to prevent the trade in goods that could be used for capital punishment or torture.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Commission still pulls the strings on EU foreign policy http://www.europeansources.info/record/commission-still-pulls-the-strings-on-eu-foreign-policy/

ESO: Background information: European External Action Service http://www.europeansources.info/record/website-european-external-action-service/

Wikipedia: Service for Foreign Policy Instruments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_for_Foreign_Policy_Instruments

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