Swedish Presidency draws up plans for EU Foreign Minister “in secret”

Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reports that the Swedish EU Presidency is planning, “in secret”, to fill the post of the EU ‘Foreign Minister’ if the Irish vote Yes to the Lisbon Treaty on 2 October.

The article notes, “no one speaks openly about the preparations while the outcome on Ireland is uncertain. But the timeframe is tight. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt wants the [EU Foreign Minister] and a new ‘EU-President’ to be appointed at a Council meeting in Brussels on 29 October. At the same time, a decision will be taken on the format of the new EU Diplomatic Service. Sweden is therefore now working discreetly but intensely to draw up the plans for the [EU Foreign Minister]. In fact, it’s working on it so intensely that experienced observers express surprise over how much effort Sweden is putting into this.”

The article also notes that the Foreign Minister will have his or her own headquarters, where the Diplomatic Service will be built, while the Foreign Minister will also be in charge of “EU embassies” around the world. It’s also noted that important aspects of the EU’s aid and enlargement policies will fall under the scope of the EU Foreign Ministry, while it’s unclear to what extent it will have a mandate over the bloc’s trade policy.

tnx to OE