European External Action Service

As a consequence of the United Kingdom becoming a third country and the closing of the European Commission Representation office in London on 31 January, on 1 February 2020 the diplomatic representation of the European Union will be ensured by an EU Delegation, part of the European External Action Service (EEAS) under the authority of the High Representative. The EEAS is the European Union's diplomatic service and is tasked with  carrying out the Union's common foreign and security policy. The service was created by the Treaty of Lisbon which was signed in 2007 and entered into force in late 2009. The EEAS was formally launched on 1 January 2011. Headquartered in Brussels, it relies on an extensive network of EU diplomatic missions worldwide. The service brings together European civil servants, diplomats from the foreign services of the EU member states and local staff in countries around the world. It works closely with the foreign and defence ministries of  EU member states and with other EU institutions, such as the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. It also has a strong working relationship with the United Nations and other international organisations. The EU’s High Representative/Vice President leads the European External Action Service and is essentially the EU's chief diplomat, charged with shaping and carrying out the EU's foreign and security policy. On 1 December 2019, Josep Borrell Fontelles from Spain assumed  the role. The first High Representative was Catherine Ashton from the UK, followed by Federica Mogherini from Italy.