European External Action Service

European External Action Service
	(in other official languages)
Bulgarian	Европейска служба за външна дейност
Czech	Evropská služba pro vnější činnost
Danish	Tjenesten for EU's optræden udadtil
German	Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst
Greek	Ευρωπαϊκή Υπηρεσία Εξωτερικής Δράσης
Spanish	Servicio europeo de acción exterior
Estonian	Euroopa välisteenistus
Finnish	Euroopan ulkosuhdehallinto
French	Service européen pour l'action extérieure
Irish	An tSeirbhís Eorpach Gníomhaíochta Seachtraí
Croatian	Europska služba vanjskih poslova
Hungarian	Európai külügyi szolgálat
Italian	Servizio europeo per l'azione esterna
Lithuanian	Europos išorės veiksmų tarnyba
Latvian	Eiropas Ārējās darbības dienests
Maltese	Servizz Ewropew għall-Azzjoni Esterna
Dutch	Europese dienst voor extern optreden
Polish	Europejska Służba Działań Zewnętrznych
Portuguese	Serviço Europeu de Ação Externa
Romanian	Serviciu european pentru acțiunea externa
Slovak	Európska služba pre vonkajšiu činnost
Slovene	Evropska služba za zunanje delovanje
Swedish	Europeiska avdelningen för yttre åtgärder
	Emblem of the EEAS
Agency overview
Formed	1 December 2010
Preceding agencies	Commission DG RELEX; Council Foreign Dept;
Type	Autonomous institution
Headquarters	Triangle building; 1046 Brussels, Belgium; 50°50′33″N 4°23′8″E / 50.84250°N 4.38556°E;
Employees	4,169 (2018)
Annual budget	€678.5 million (2018)
Agency executives	Kaja Kallas, High Representative; Kajsa Ollongren, Executive Secretary-General;
Child agencies	EUMS; SitCen;
Key documents	Treaty of Lisbon; Council Decision 2010/427/EU;
Website	eeas.europa.eu
Map
	EEAS (Triangle building) European External Action Service (Brussels)

The seat of the EEAS in the European Quarter of Brussels

The Kortenberg building, which houses most EEAS bodies related to the Common Security and Defence Policy

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the diplomatic service in charge of executing all international relations of the European Union (EU). The EEAS is led by the vice-president of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP), who is also President of the Foreign Affairs Council, and carries out the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The EEAS does not propose or implement policy in its own name, but prepares acts to be adopted by the High Representative, the European Commission or the Council. The EEAS is also in charge of EU diplomatic missions (delegations) and intelligence and crisis management structures.

The EEAS, as well as the office of the HR, was initiated following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009. It was formally established on 1 December 2010. The EEAS was formed by merger of the external relations departments of the European Commission and of the Council, which were joined by staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the Member States. Although it supports both the commission and the council, the EEAS is independent from them and has its own staff, as well as a separate section in the EU budget.

The EEAS and the European Defence Agency (EDA) together form the Secretariat of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the structural integration pursued by 26 of the 27 national armed forces of the EU since 2017.