John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way he proposes to ensure that the proposed European external action service cannot spend foreign development aid moneys on other areas of foreign policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21226/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty has resulted in significant changes in the organisation and architecture of the European institutions. These include the creation of a full-time President of the European Council, the establishment of the new post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the creation of a European External Action Service (EEAS), which is intended to support the work of the High Representative.

Given the central role that the EEAS is to play in the EU's external relations, under the responsibility of the High Representative, Ireland and some of our EU partners have been working to ensure that the position of development policy is maintained in the context of a more coherent and integrated EU foreign policy. In particular, we have wanted to ensure that effective development programming is achieved across the EU external actions, with no loss of commitment to poverty reduction and to aid effectiveness.

Political agreement has been reached by the Member States on the proposal of the High Representative to achieve a coherent balance of programming responsibilities between the External Action Service and the Development Commissioner. The proposal explicitly notes that the Commission will be involved in all stages of the programming cycle and that all programming decisions to be taken will be prepared through Commission procedures and submitted to the Commission for decision. In this context, the Development Commissioner will have the right of veto over all programming decisions, including for the European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument. These are the primary EU financial instruments for the disbursement of development funding.

Furthermore, in response to proposals made by some Member States, including Ireland, the revised draft Council Decision, to be submitted to Ministers in the coming weeks, now refers specifically to Article 208 of the Lisbon Treaty, which places development at the centre of EU external policy. There is also an explicit statement that the "EEAS should promote the fulfilment of the objectives of the European Consensus on Development and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid".

In line with the spirit and ambition of the Lisbon Treaty, I am confident that, with the cooperation of the High Representative, the Development Commissioner and the Member States, the new arrangements on the functioning of the External Action Service should lead to the more effective integration of development into the EU's broader foreign policy, while continuing to ensure that funds allocated for development are disbursed effectively in pursuit of the EU's development goals.