Ashton revamps plans for EU diplomatic corps after criticism

(BRUSSELS) - EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton will on Wednesday present revamped plans for the bloc's new diplomatic corps, hoping to overcome European Parliament resistance to her original plans.

Gone, according to sources, is the idea of an over-arching secretary general beneath the British peer, after the parliamentarians had voiced concern making a civil servant functionary her sole deputy in the European Union's new External Action Service (EAS).

Also, with the post expected to go to a French official, there were fears in some quarters that France and Britain would carve out foreign policy between them within the EAS, created along with Ashton's post by the EU's Lisbon Treaty of reforms which came into force last December.

The original plan for the service presented by Ashton showed one secretary general and two deputy secretary generals, leaving some smaller EU nations fearing their nationals would appear too far down the diplomatic pyramid.

Sources told AFP that the plan now is for a more horizontal system, with three more or less equal deputies to Baroness Ashton -- what exactly they would be called remained unclear -- broadly splitting the political, institutional and backroom administrative roles between them.

There will also be "political and institutional big-hitters", one source said, able to interchange their functions when necessary and all of a sufficient calibre to deputise, when necessary, for Ashton.

"Catherine Ashton proposes to design a kind of triumvirate," at the head of the nascent diplomatic service, which may eventually count some 5,000 employees, another European diplomatic source said.

"The idea of one sole post to run the whole thing did not play well in the other 26 capitals," the source added.

"She wants to get rid of the criticism that the service would be led by Franco-British co-decision."

There are still plans to find a "first among equals" from the three, with Pierre Vimont, French ambassador to the United States, considered as top dog, the diplomat told AFP.

"I have spoken in favour of Mr Vimont to Mrs Ashton for at least a month," said French minister for European affairs Pierre Lellouche told reporters in Strasbourg.

Ashton "is discussing with us whether she is going to have a secretary general or secretaries general," he added.

Germany's position on the revamped plans remained unclear.

A couple of names had already arisen with regard to another of the posts, with the idea to give it to an existing senior official in the European Commission.

While far from any decision, the names of the EU's trade director general David O' Sullivan of Ireland and Stephano Sannino, the EU executive's Italian deputy director general for external relations, were said to be in the mix.

The third post may go to a Polish or Hungarian official, to give the line-up a better balance towards the newer, central and eastern European member states.

Ashton will put the plans formally to representatives of the 27 EU member states on Wednesday and hopes to gain broad support for them when European foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday.