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Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2024/2248 10.10.2024
RESOLUTION (EU) 2024/2248 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
of 11 April 2024
with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the
implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section
X – European External Action Service
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,
— having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European
Union for the financial year 2022, Section X – European External Action Service,
— having regard to Rule 100 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A9-0102/2024),
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance
of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and
accountability, and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human
resources;
B. whereas the European External Action Service (EEAS) is responsible for the management of the administrative
expenditure of its Headquarters (HQ) in Brussels and for the network of the 144 Union delegations and offices;
C. whereas the EEAS’ responsibility has been extended to cover the administrative management of the Commission
staff in the delegations through a series of Service Level Arrangements (SLAs);
D. whereas the role of the delegations is to represent the Union and its citizens around the world by building networks
and partnerships, and to promote the values of the Union;
E. whereas the peculiarity of the EEAS remains in its nature and origin, as it was when it was formed by the merging of
staff belonging to the former external relation departments of the Council and of the Commission, into which
diplomats from the Member States have been integrated;
F. whereas under the EEAS Internal Rules, the Secretary-General of the EEAS acts as authorising officer by delegation
for the institution and the Director-General for Resource Management has the role of principal sub-delegated
authorising officer;
G. whereas the implementation of the budget is governed by the Financial Regulation and by the Internal Rules of
implementation of the Budget of the EEAS;
1. Notes that the budget of the EEAS falls under MFF heading 7, ‘European public administration’, which amounted to
EUR 11,6 billion in 2022 (representing 5,9 % of the total Union budget); notes that the EEAS’s budget of
approximately EUR 1,1 billion represents around 9,4 % of the total administrative expenditure;
2. Notes that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’), in its Annual Report for the financial year 2022 examined a sample of
60 transactions under Administration, the same number as were examined in 2021; further notes that the Court
writes that administrative expenditure comprises expenditure on human resources including pensions, which
in 2022 accounted for about 70 % of the total administrative expenditure, and expenditure on buildings,
equipment, energy, communications and information technology and that its work over many years indicates that,
overall, this spending is low risk;
3. Notes that 14 (23 %) of the 60 transactions contained errors but that the Court, based on the five errors which were
quantified, estimate the level of error to be below the materiality threshold;
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4. Regrets that the Court in its Annual Report for the financial year 2022 observes that they found two quantifiable
errors in the payments made by the EEAS, one concerned the absence of a valid underlying contract for security
services acquired by a Union Delegation, the other related to child allowances received by a staff member from
other sources but not deducted from their pay;
Budgetary and financial management
5. Notes that the budget for 2022 for the EEAS was EUR 786 947 220, representing an increase of 2,5 % from 2021,
which is less than the 5,0 % increase from 2020 to 2021; observes that, in addition to its own budget, the EEAS
also used EUR 241,4 million (including assigned revenues and carried over amounts) from the Commission to
cover the administrative costs of Commission staff working in Union Delegations; notes that this amounted to an
increase of 14,3 % from 2021; notes that the EEAS also received additional contributions to cover common costs of
European Development Fund staff in Delegations and other amounts bringing the total available budget for the EEAS
(in commitment appropriations) to EUR 1 143,6million, which represents an increase of 4,8 % from 2020; regrets
that the EEAS administrative budget for 2022 was underbudgeted despite the important role of the institution for
the early 2022 broader international context and the increased costs that implied;
6. Notes that, in 2022, 99,99 % of the final EEAS budget in commitments was executed, which was even higher that
in 2021 where 99,37 % was executed and significantly higher than in 2020 where 95,01 % was executed; notes
furthermore that 90,56 % of the budget for payments was executed in 2022, which is a significant increase
compared to an execution rate of 84,47 % in 2021 and 82,34 % in 2020;
7. Notes that the final budget for the EEAS HQ after transfers amounted to EUR 308,1 million in 2022, which
represents an increase of 4,4 % from 2021; notes that 100 % of the budget in commitments was executed; notes
that in payments EUR 269,2 million, equal to 87,4 % of the budget, was executed, which represents an increase of
EUR 30,9 million from 2021 where 80,8 % of payments were executed;
8. Notes that the final budget for the EEAS delegations after transfers amounted to EUR 478,9 million in 2022, which
represents an increase of 1,3 % from 2021; notes that 100 % of the budget in commitments was executed; notes that
in payments EUR 443,4 million, equal to 92,6 % of the budget, was executed, which represents an absolute increase
of EUR 33,3 million from 2021 where 86,8 % of payments were executed;
9. Notes that the EEAS executed 20 budgetary transfers in accordance with Article 29 of the Financial Regulation out of
which three involved information on the budgetary authority; notes that the total amount subject to transfers was
EUR 38,2 million, increasing the budget of EEAS Delegations by EUR 0,9 million and decreasing the EEAS HQ staff
budget by EUR 0,5 million and EEAS HQ Buildings and equipment budget by EUR 0,4 million;
10. Notes with concern that the EEAS reports that the 2022 budget was especially challenging due to new tasks and
increasing running costs and that mitigating measures included reducing or cancelling all non-essential expenditure
in Delegations, that publication of posts in HQ and Delegations were carefully considered and several were frozen
for a period, non-compulsory salary updates and post upgrades were paused or postponed to the extent possible
and recovery of claims towards third parties were accelerated where possible;
11. Notes that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine created budgetary pressures for the EEAS, including through
rising inflation and salary adjustments, strongly increasing energy costs and other contractor’s costs for a number of
goods and services; Stresses the importance of establishing a robust and secure financial foundation for the EEAS,
emphasising its pivotal role in effectively executing the Union's common security and foreign policy;
12. Regrets that budgetary pressure continued in 2023 and led the EEAS to decide against sending any staff on any of the
planned follow-up missions to the Electoral Observation Missions due to a shortage in the travel budget for a large
part of 2023; considers that the EEAS should be given the necessary resources in order to ensure a proper
follow-up to these important missions;
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13. Notes with satisfaction that the total number of co-locations with Member States and other EU partners in Union
Delegations increased from 122 in 2021 to 135 in 2022; welcomes that the EEAS Secretary-General adopted a
Decision on co-location policy, which provides a comprehensive and transparent structural framework
harmonising the EEAS co-location practice by setting common principles and objectives;
14. Notes that the total paid mission costs for the EEAS was EUR 24,065 million in 2022, which represents a significant
increase from EUR 6,128 million in 2021 but which is more comparable with the pre-COVID-19 level in 2019
when the paid amount was EUR 20,972 million; notes furthermore that the EEAS does not have a separate budget
line for missions and travel for the High Representative / Vice President and that the missions and travel costs for
the HR/VP are shared between the EEAS and the Commission depending on the purpose of the mission; notes
finally, that for 2022, the EEAS had costs of EUR 3 502,73 on 6 missions for the High Representative / Vice
President and air-taxi costs of EUR 178 320,76; asks the EEAS to inform Parliament about how many times the
High Representative / Vice President travelled with commercial planes and how many times charter planes were
used;
15. Notes the extensive use of private leased jets for official trips by the HR/VP and understands that travelling is inherent
and essential to the mandate as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, which includes
representing the Union in high-level meetings, conferences and summits worldwide; believes that transparency of
work-related activities and sound financial management when using the Union’s public funds should be at the core
of the Union institutions; further believes that members of the Union’s institutions should act as an example for the
public with regard to following climate policies in line with the flagship European ‘Green Deal’;
16. Recalls the answer received following CONT Member’s written question regarding the details of HR/VP’s travels by
air-taxis; regrets that aside from mentioning routes travelled, the EEAS failed to specify the amounts spent on those
travels and indicate which trips and what amounts were covered by the EEAS and the Commission’s budgets
respectively; stresses the importance of this information being made available to the discharge authority; notes also
the fact that the air-taxi costs increased from EUR 0 in 2021 to EUR 178 320,76 in 2022, which is naturally
explained by the COVID-19 pandemic; recommends that air-taxis only be used when there are no suitable
commercial options or when there are security concerns;
Internal management, performance and internal control
17. Notes that during 2022 the exceptional measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic were phased out and the
institutions started to resume functioning normally, while the EEAS was affected by the Russian war of aggression
on Ukraine as well as security crises in Afghanistan, Haiti and Sahel; also notes that three Union Delegations were
marked as Level 3 on the evacuation level, meaning only essential staff were allowed to stay in the country of
posting, Ukraine (since February 2022), Haiti (since June 2022) and Burkina Faso (since December 2022);
18. Notes that the EEAS Secretary-General issued an instruction note to Heads of Union Delegations, requesting them
notably to report in a timely way during crises (‘more regular, direct and systematic reporting’); finds it concerning
that the EEAS ambassadors were rather late to inform and react to the changes on the ground, especially in Ukraine
and Afghanistan, leading to hasty evacuations of Union personnel; believes that the EEAS should review its risk
management methodology, which is used to evaluate the security situation for members of staff in Union
Delegations;
19. Welcomes that as a response to the different crises during the last couple of years, the EEAS created the Crisis
Response Centre in July 2022, which liaises with external partners like the Union institutions and Member States
and brings diplomatic, security and intelligence capabilities together internally;
20. Notes that the Directorate-General for Resource Management, which will continue to handle the administrative
aspects of all crisis, was restructured into two directorates and the number of Divisions was reduced from 16 to 13
by grouping similar and related functions together and the coordination team attached to the Director-General was
strengthened;
21. Notes that, in 2021, the EEAS created an Internal Control Committee, which has since met twice per year, in order to
allow senior managers to discuss mitigating measures devised to address weaknesses identified in internal controls;
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22. Notes with satisfaction that no Union Delegations submitted reservations in 2022;
23. Notes that different elements of the EEAS budget are being audited by its Internal Auditor, the Commission’s Internal
Auditing Service and by the Court of Auditors; notes with surprise that the EEAS did not launch any internal audits
in 2022, but that two audits were finalised in 2022 and that three audits were still ongoing; stresses the importance
of conducting internal audits diligently and regularly especially after the EEAS had introduced a new methodology to
its internal auditing system in 2021;
24. Notes that four critical recommendations from the Internal Audit Service remained open in 2022; welcomes that the
recommendation concerning the security at the Union Delegation in Mali is being closely monitored; regrets that the
recommendations concerning the management of the Union Delegation in Washington remains open and that the
creation of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) has created complex legal issues; asks that Parliament is kept updated
about the development of the situation concerning that LLC;
25. Notes that the EEAS Inspection Services issued 5 critical recommendations during 2022 and appreciates that three
have been fully implemented or resolved while the last two are being followed closely; asks the EEAS to provide
further information in the follow-up to the discharge report;
26. Underlines that last year’s focus on procurement and recruitment procedures organised by Union Delegations due to
the findings by the Court continues to be a cause for concern; notes that the EEAS has argued for several changes to
the Financial Regulation to take account of the special situation of Union Delegations in third countries; stresses that
while certain flexibility might be justifiable, the differences between deadlines and rules for each of the host country
might lead to further errors and inconsistencies in procurement procedures; nevertheless, and taking the final
outcome of the negotiations on the Financial Regulation into account, calls on the EEAS to adopt necessary
measures to ensure that the number of errors by Union delegations is reduced and report to Parliament about
measures adopted;
27. Notes that the Union delegation to the UK opened on 1 February 2020in the office space previously occupied by the
Representation of the Commission and the European Parliament Liaison Office (EPLO); notes with appreciation that,
after the signing of a Service Level Agreement between the EEAS and the Parliament, the same rights and obligations
will apply to Parliament staff posted in London as the rights and obligations arising from the Establishment
Agreement for Delegation Staff, and that the Union Delegation in London notifies Parliament staff to the UK
authorities in accordance with the Service Level Agreement;
Human resources, equality and staff well-being
28. Notes that, by the end of 2022, there were 5 188people employed by the EEAS, out of which 2 419(46,6 %) were
posted at the EEAS HQ and 2 769(53,4 %) worked in Union Delegations and Offices, which represents an increase
of 2,3 % from 5 072 people working in the EEAS at the end of 2021 with 2 303 at the HQ and 2 769 in
Delegations and Offices; notes that the increase of 116 members of staff were all employed at the EEAS HQ; finally
notes that, for 2022, the EEAS received an additional 32 full-time equivalents from the Budgetary Authority and
that four posts (three AD and one AST) were transferred to the Commission as part of the administrative budget;
29. Notes that, at the end of 2022, the staff was made up of 1 247officials, 468 temporary agents, 596 contract agents,
491 seconded national experts, 1 573 local agents, 144 trainees, 39 junior professionals in Delegations and 630
external, interim and other staff; notes finally that, in addition, there were 3 316 members of Commission staff
employed in Union Delegations;
30. Notes that, at the end of 2022, that out of 1 715officials and temporary agents, 881 (51,4 %) were men and 834
(48,6 %) were women, which represents a slight increase from 2021 when 48,1 % of staff were women; notes that
among contract agents 55,9 % were women, slightly down from 57,7 % in 2021 while among seconded national
experts 25,1 % were women, which represents an increase from 22,2 % in 2021; however, notes that women are
notably underrepresented in senior positions such as AD 9-12 and AD 13-16, while they are overrepresented
mainly in AST positions;
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31. Notes with concern that for senior management in HQ and Delegations, there were 18 women (29,0 %) and 44 men
(71,0 %) at the end of 2022, representing a slight increase in the relative share of women from 26,8 % in 2021;
welcomes that for HQ, the share of women in senior management positions increased from 25,0 % in 2021 to
30,6 % in 2022;
32. Notes that for middle management in HQ and Delegations, there were 86 (38,4 %) women and 138 (61,6 %) men in
middle management positions at the end of 2022; notes that this represents an increase in the share of women in
those from 34,2 %, but that the share of women is still unsatisfactorily low; further welcomes that for HQ, the share
of women in middle management positions increased from 40,7 % in 2021 to 44,4 % in 2022;
33. Calls on the EEAS to persist in taking action to achieve more discernible gender balance within its organisation at all
levels;
34. Welcomes that the Commission and the HR/VP, in response to the calls from Parliament, has adopted a Gender
Action Plan for 2021-2025 as a cross-cutting measure for all aspects of foreign policy as a first step towards a
genuine feminist diplomacy; welcomes that the EU Ambassador for Gender and Diversity continues to promote the
Union policy framework on Women, Peace and Security and to ensure the participation of women in all diplomatic
and political dialogues and welcomes the launch of the EU Women Diplomats Network between Member States and
the EEAS to promote Union values on diversity and equality and to support gender equality in the rest of the world;
35. Stresses that the GAP III dictates that by 2025 85 % of new EU actions must contribute to gender equality and
women’s and girls’ empowerment, while the EEAS must accelerate the progress towards the goals of GAP III by
focusing meaningfully on its everyday work on the GAP III’s key areas of engagement, including ending gender-
based violence, promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic and social rights and
empowerment, equal participation and leadership;
36. Expresses concern about the global status of LGBTIQ+ rights and the growing resistance to women’s rights, gender
equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights in developing countries; calls on the Commission and the
EEAS to address setbacks in recognising and protecting these rights; emphasises the need to prioritise targeted
support for civil society organisations (CSOs) and communities advocating for sexual and reproductive health and
rights, women’s rights, gender equality, the LGBTIQ+ community and other marginalised groups, including
enhanced measures to decriminalise homosexuality; recalls that a minimum of 85 % of new actions under the
NDICI-GE instrument should prioritise gender equality, with at least 5 % specifically dedicated to women’s and girls’
rights and empowerment;
37. Welcomes that all Member States are represented in the members of staff of the EEAS; notes however that significant
imbalances still persist with 25 Member States represented in all staff categories, while there were only two nationals
from Luxembourg (1 CA and 1 SNE), and Malta did not have any nationals in the Contract Agent category; notes
that Belgium is the most overrepresented Member State making up 12,7 % of staff employed by the EEAS, including
15,4 % of the officials; notes that out of 141 Union Ambassadors, three Member States do not have any (Hungary,
Luxembourg and Malta) and Cyprus and Slovenia have just one national each, notably one less than in 2021,
whereas the Member States with most Ambassadors are France with 20, Spain with 18, Italy with 17, Germany
with 14 and Belgium with 11, implying that these five countries have 80 out of the 141 posts, which is equal to
57 %; notes with satisfaction that this is a reduction compared to last year, when the same five countries had 61 %
of the Ambassador posts; regrets, however, that the amount of Ambassador posts held by Member States that
joined in 2004 or later (EU-13) decreased to 17 % in 2022, compared to 18 % in 2021; calls on the EEAS to
publish, annually, a gender and nationality breakdown of middle and senior management positions; reiterates its
concern about the geographical imbalance concerning the position of Heads of delegation and calls for the EEAS to
continue improving the geographical balance in order to have a proper representation of nationals from all Member
States reflecting their diversity, while at the same time respecting the competences and merits of the candidates;
38. Welcomes that the EEAS promotes a flexible, digital and trust-based work environment to enhance efficiency,
protect the health and wellbeing of staff, and improve work-life balance; notes that the teleworking rules at the
EEAS in 2022 meant that staff in HQ were authorised to telework up to three days per week, while staff in
Delegations were authorised to telework one day per week; notes furthermore that new rules on teleworking
entered into force in October 2023 and that transitional measures included the authorisation of 10 days of
teleworking from outside the place of employment for both staff in HQ and in Delegations, which on a case-by-case
basis can be extended for staff with complex family situations; asks the EEAS to keep Parliament informed about the
new teleworking rules and how they are assessed by both staff and management;
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39. Notes with regret that the number of staff on long-term sick leave for more than 50 days increased from 91 staff
members in 2021 to 111 staff members in 2022, equivalent to an increase of 22 %; notes at the same time that the
EEAS has several initiatives in place to ensure support and to educate staff about strategies to avoid burnout,
including tasking managers with the responsibility of ensuring that the task allocation is reasonable and that, in the
event of burnout, guidance and special working time arrangements are put in place to facilitate the return to work;
calls on the EEAS to further consider how long-term sickness, including burnout, can be prevented as much as
possible, and to take the necessary measures to ensure the wellbeing of its staff;
40. Welcomes that, during 2022, the EEAS intensified its efforts and launched a number of initiatives to raise awareness
about harassment, including an ‘Anti-Harassment Awareness Week’ in October 2022 and the adoption of new
‘Principles of professional behaviour in the EEAS’; notes that, during 2022, two requests for assistance in relation to
harassment were submitted, with one being closed in 2022 and the other being closed in 2023, both without
sanctions; notes that a further three requests from 2021 and one from 2020 were closed during 2022 and 2023;
notes furthermore, that the demand for EEAS mediation services increased during 2022, reaching 218 mediation
cases and 19 cases of confidential counselling; asks that Parliament is kept informed about the development in the
number of harassment cases and if sanctions are imposed in any of them;
41. Notes that the EEAS does not know the exact number of members of staff with disabilities but that the replies in an
anonymous survey from 2021 indicated that 24 of 1 075respondents declared a disability and 23 declared a short-
term or temporary disability; welcomes that the Union Delegations have produced ‘accessibility factsheets’ providing
information on the suitability and accessibility of the Delegation premises in order to ensure that staff with
disabilities have relevant information before applying for a posting;
42. Welcomes that the EEAS continues to employ a relatively large number of trainees, offering 63 Blue Book
traineeships, four short-term traineeships at HQ and 365 traineeships in 102 Delegations; notes that one short-
term traineeship at HQ and 22 traineeships in Delegations were not funded and were carried out by students that
were required to complete a traineeship as part of their studies in exchange for academic credits; welcomes that
similar to staff, the trainees benefitted from hybrid working arrangements in line with guidelines issued by Director-
General for Resource Management; reiterates its call on all institutions to make sure that all trainees receive a
reasonable remuneration from the institution;
43. Calls for the establishment of a permanent structure and the necessary resources for the European Diplomatic
Academy, which can contribute to fully developing an autonomous EU diplomacy with a common diplomatic
based on an EU perspective; considers that in the future this Academy should include a system of selection,
recruitment and training of Europeans who have completed higher education and are not diplomats of Member
States; stresses the need to explore and decide on ways of access to the EEAS for those graduating from this
Academy;
Ethical framework and transparency
44. Welcomes that the EEAS continues to provide ethics training in the framework of the Newcomer Welcome Sessions
and the pre-posting seminars for Union Ambassadors and Heads of Administration; asks the EEAS to provide
mandatory training sessions to ensure that all members of staff are reminded of important principles such as ethics,
transparency, conflicts of interest and anti-fraud;
45. Regrets that a limited number of fraud-related cases involving misappropriation of Union funds by members of staff
at Union Delegation were investigated by OLAF during 2022 and that some are still ongoing; underlines that OLAF
needs to conclude its investigations before conclusions can be drawn, but at the same time encourages the EEAS to
take all necessary steps to swiftly follow-up on possible criticism from OLAF;
46. Notes that, in 2022, the EEAS handled 16 requests from the Ombudsman, out of which 11 cases concerned
administrative procedures and five concerned access to documents; notes that 13 out of the 16 inquiries were
concluded in 2022 and that no maladministration was found in 11 cases while one partial maladministration and
one maladministration was found in the other 2 cases; welcomes that the EEAS strives to reach a 100 %
implementation rate of suggestions or recommendations put forward by the Ombudsman;
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47. Welcomes that, in October 2022, the EEAS adopted the ‘Principles of professional behaviour in the EEAS’
summarising the professional behaviour expected from members of staff and that they must declare any conflicts of
interest that may arise in the exercise of their duties, by sending a form to the EEAS ethics team; Notes that the EEAS
continues to reflect on possible updates of the EEAS ethics framework; asks that Parliament is kept fully updated on
any developments in this regard;
48. Stresses that while the EEAS is not an institution within the meaning of Article 13 of the TEU and does not have a
direct role in Union legislation, it does, however, have an important role related to Union legislation with regard to
decisions concerning sanctions and the negotiation of international trade agreements, which have a considerable
regulatory impact; notes that it would be of great relevance for the EEAS to join the Union Transparency Register on
the basis of a service-level agreement; invites the EEAS to publish all meetings with all types of lobby organisations,
including those of Heads of Union Delegations, in order to improve transparency;
49. Notes that, in 2022, the EEAS received four declarations of conflicts of interests and that they were handled
professionally and on an individual basis; notes that the EEAS rejected granting permission for an outside activity
and through relieving an employee from duties in relation to issues, funding or management of projects of his
previous employer;
50. Notes that, in 2022, the EEAS received three notifications of intentions to join a private company out of 15
notifications of post-service activities; notes with satisfaction that a two-year cooling-off period was imposed on an
established official for an activity of advisor for a law firm;
51. Calls on the EEAS to monitor the positions of former senior staff and heads of delegations, given their sensitive
political role; invites the EEAS to systematically review potentially problematic transitions to the private sector or to
third country organisations and to continue monitoring the occupation of former senior officials until the end of the
mandatory cooling-off period, as conflicts of interest that are left unaddressed may compromise the enforcement of
high ethical standards throughout the Union administration;
52. Notes with satisfaction that the EEAS has adopted a new anti-fraud strategy in 2023, which is now being
implemented; asks to be updated about the implementation and will return to the issue during the discharge 2023;
at the same time notes that the EEAS, together with the Commission, is already providing training courses on fraud
and that such training is a mandatory part of pre-posting training;
53. Takes note that a reflection process on adoption of self-standing implementation provisions on outside activities and
assignments is undergoing in the EEAS; requests that the Parliament is kept informed of any outcome and recalls the
importance of such framework in order to protect the image and reputation of the Union in particular in case of
Heads of Delegations;
54. Notes that the EEAS did not receive any cases concerning whistleblowing and that the EEAS applies the Commission
guidelines on whistleblowing; encourages nevertheless, the EEAS to adopt its own policy adapted to the specific
characteristics of the EEAS concerning this important issue and to establish a safe channel for potential whistle-
blowers;
Digitalisation, cybersecurity and data protection
55. Notes that the EEAS operates its own Security Operation Centre, which deals with incident handling, and is located
in Headquarters: warns that 129 cyberattacks on the EEAS were confirmed in 2022 and notes that the EEAS is a
very likely target for actors with huge resources who want to create difficulties for Union institutions, especially
those actors that are sponsored by foreign states; regrets that one major security incident that occurred in 2022 was
not identified, due to its complexity, until 2023; welcomes that no confidential information was compromised; calls
on the EEAS to continue to have a strong focus on cybersecurity and hybrid threats and work together with other
Union institutions and Member States in order to identify such threats and protect Union infrastructure as much as
possible; underlines that cyber awareness and a systematic training programme for all staff, including management,
are key elements in an effective cybersecurity framework;
56. Notes with satisfaction that the EDPS did not launch or complete any enquiries or investigations specifically
targeting the EEAS in 2022; welcomes the EEAS’ decision not to use Microsoft 365 due to security concerns but to
continue using internal cloud applications hosted in Europe;
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57. Continues to note with satisfaction that the EEAS has adopted a hosting policy and maintains a central repository of
all information systems and technical services related to business applications and services; further notes that in the
case of information systems hosted on premises, both the system and its data are on servers that are directly owned
and controlled by the EEAS and that the Data Protection Officer ensures the sound data protection controls in place;
welcomes that information systems hosted on a cloud contain data protection clauses based on joint
recommendations from the EDPS and the Commission;
58. Notes that the EEAS’ open source policy for digital solutions implies that open source is a viable solution if after an
assessment, all tools and applications are deemed equal; notes that the EEAS is using a series of open source
products to retain full ownership and control of its data;
59. Stresses that, ahead of increasing geopolitical challenges and crisis worldwide, the EU needs to be able to rely on
necessary first-hand information on global issues occurring outside its borders; calls, in this regard, for
strengthening the EU INTCEN, the EEAS Crisis Response Centre and the SatCen by enhancing its staff and financial
resources, as well as its capabilities;
Buildings and security
60. Notes that the EEAS occupies and manages a very complex building portfolio comprising the EEAS HQ in Brussels
and a large number of offices and Residences for Ambassadors around the world; notes that, at the beginning of
2022, the EEAS in Brussels took over 8 334 m2 of building space from the Commission, which was previously
occupied by EPSO;
61. Welcomes that, in 2022, the EEAS owned around 58 000 m2 of office space and approximately 20 % of the 153
residences for ambassadors; notes that the EEAS estimates that the total savings coming from owning these building
is around EUR 20 million per year; highly welcomes that the EEAS has developed a policy framework for a
purchasing strategy, which was presented to the Budgetary Authority in 2023;
62. Notes that, since 2020, the EEAS has been developing its office management policy towards collaborative and
flexible office concepts both at HQ and in Delegations; asks that this development is done in close cooperation with
staff to ensure that legitimate concerns and points of view are taken into consideration;
63. Welcomes that the EEAS is focused on ensuring that its building are accessible to people with disabilities and reduced
mobility; notes that the building in Brussels already fulfils such requirements and welcomes that for Union
Delegations the EEAS selection procedures envisages barrier-free construction as a key selection criteria for new
office buildings;
64. Notes that the main additional expenses for security in Union Delegations arose from the return of the EEAS to
Kabul as the only European mission in Kabul after the takeover of the Taliban, the deteriorating security situation in
countries and areas like Ukraine and Sahel and the need for more security equipment in Delegations; notes that the
expenses were covered by delaying and postponing other expenses;
Environment and sustainability
65. Welcomes that, in April 2022, the EEAS signed a framework contract to assist in the preparation of an Eco-
Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) for the EEAS HQ and the Delegations, while accepting that a lighter
Environmental Management System (EMS) will have to be applied in many Delegations due to local limitations; asks
for Parliament to be updated on the results of the implementation of these schemes both at HQ and in Delegations;
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66. Welcomes that both the EEAS HQ and 20 Delegation buildings were equipped with photovoltaic panels by the end
of 2022 and that three Delegations were equipped with such panels during the year; encourages the EEAS to
continue to develop the installations of photovoltaic panels on all its buildings, as it improves the environmental
footprint of a Delegation, save emissions, energy and money, reduce the dependency on generators and fuel and
also demonstrates that the EEAS leads by example in support of the ‘Green Deal’;
67. Welcomes that, in 2022, the EEAS developed its first Commuting Plan with the objective of increasing the share of
members of staff commuting to work via sustainable means, that the number of bike park places at the EEAS main
building were doubled and that the EEAS continues to reimburse half of the costs of Brussels public transport for
members of staff who do not apply for a car-parking badge;
68. Regrets that co-location agreements currently do not include clauses related to sustainability; notes that it would
send a strong signal about the commitment of the EEAS to ensuring environmental sustainability if such
agreements in the future would also ensure an explicit element about living up to certain environmental standards
and targets; invites the EEAS to explore feasible options and encourage energy efficiency updates also in Delegations
which are operating as co-locations;
69. Recalls that the direct and indirect impacts of climate change undermine global peace and security while deepening
existing vulnerabilities and inequalities and pose risks to human rights; urges the Commission and the EEAS to
design and conduct robust EU climate diplomacy with the aim to foster international cooperation towards the goals
of the Paris Agreement, strengthen the external dimension of the Green New Deal and provide tangible support for
ambitious CO reduction targets in third countries;
2
Interinstitutional cooperation
70. Welcomes that the EEAS agreed two Service Level Agreements during 2022 with the Parliament, the first concerning
the secondment of Parliament officials to an initial number of three Delegations (the United Nations in New York,
the African Union in Ethiopia and ASEAN in Jakarta), where the staff seconded will integrate in the parliamentary
affairs subsection of the political sections of the Delegations, and the second concerning Parliament staff at the
liaison offices in London and Washington;
71. Notes that the process of replacing the 2002 interinstitutional agreement between the Parliament and the Council on
the Parliament’s access to classified information in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is
continuing at a very slow pace and apparently only one technical meeting took place during 2022 and one in 2023;
72. Welcomes that the EEAS declares that it cooperates excellently with OLAF, the EPPO and the Court and that there
are regular meetings and exchanges of information between those institutions; further welcomes that the EEAS is
negotiating dedicated working arrangements between the EEAS and the EPPO and asks that Parliament is being kept
informed about any progress made in these negotiations;
73. Invites the EEAS to place emphasis on the procurement rules when negotiating dedicated working arrangements
with the EPPO, as certain procedures might involve highly sensitive and even security-related information;
74. Welcomes that the EEAS actively cooperates with the EDPS through its Data Protection Officer, including by
participating in roundtables, meetings to define the future objectives of the DPO network, and by contributing to
the Working Group on International Transfers;
75. Welcomes that the EEAS cooperates closely with the Ombudsman and that the Ombudsman is now systematically
invited to the EEAS pre-posting seminars to present their work in order to raise awareness about principles of good
administrative behaviour;
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Communication
76. Notes that the EEAS had a total budget of EUR 15,352 million for public communication and promotional activities
and that public communication intensified significantly as a consequence of Russia’s war of aggression against
Ukraine;
77. Welcomes that the EEAS adopted measures in order to ensure an improvement in the corporate use of social media,
including ensuring that such use complies with IT security and data protection rules, to update the guidelines and to
suspend paid advertisements on the corporate account; further takes note that guidelines were issued on the private
use of social media;
78. Welcomes that the EEAS joined the open-source social media platform EU Voice pilot project by the EDPS and
encourages it to also join the EU Video platform, taking into account the evolution of its popularity; also welcomes
that the EEAS cooperates with other Union institutions in order to share experience and best practices;
79. Notes that the budget for combatting foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including
disinformation activities represented EUR 7,150 million in total in 2022; welcomes strongly that the EEAS has
invested significantly in strengthening and building resilience to counter disinformation and foreign interference in
Union affairs; stresses that EEAS is the main Union institution responsible for countering foreign interference;
80. Notes that the East StratCom Task Force stepped up its efforts to expose Kremlin disinformation campaigns
following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and that the Task Force worked closely with independent
media and civil society partners in the Eastern Europe Partnership countries to counter FIMI and that selected
content on the EUvsDisinfo website was translated into multiple languages including some of the official Union
languages as well as Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian and Chinese;
81. Calls on the Union delegations in our neighbourhood and in the Western Balkan countries to increase their
engagement in order to support a more active and effective communication policy on the European perspective and
to be prepared to provide the best possible assistance to the countries engaged in pro-democratic and pro-European
reforms; calls on the Union delegations to apply a more credible and merit-based approach based on the
Copenhagen criteria, notably on the rule of law, democracy and the protection of human rights, especially given the
limited progress made by some countries in the Western Balkans;
82. Calls on Union delegations to enhance support to genuine democratic actors and civil society in the Western Balkans
as well as strongly and publicly denounce actions by illiberal and undemocratic actors that go against the Union’s
interest and ensure the implementation of IPA III funding is in line with the Union’s objectives;
83. Continues to encourage Union delegations to promote and engage with local actors, civil society organisations and
social partners in third countries to stimulate social dialogue and dialogue about the rule of law, fundamental rights
and fight against corruption as well as to debunk disinformation campaigns threatening democratic values
orchestrated by foreign state actors; asks the Union delegations to provide logistical and technological support to
human rights and indigenous peoples’ defenders, in particular women; calls on Union delegations to continue their
coordinated efforts to increase the visibility of Union-funded projects, especially in candidate countries; calls on
Union delegations to respect high standards for accountability and transparency when engaging with regional
partners; asks Union delegations to assure that Union funds awarded in third countries are used effectively,
efficiently and in line with the Union’s values, policies and financial rules enshrined in, among other places, the
Financial Regulation, which lays down transparency as one of its guiding budgetary principles; asks to pay
particular attention to avoid unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and support beneficiaries to prevent errors impacting
the error rate; calls on the EEAS to strengthen the Union delegations in the Eastern Partnership countries; underlines
the need to assist the Eastern Partnership countries that are suffering from Russia’s military aggression on Ukraine
and to communicate Union policies more effectively to their citizens;
84. Urges the EEAS and the Union delegations to closely monitor the state of democracy in the different countries and to
provide logistical and technological support to human rights defenders and indigenous persons, in particular
women;
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Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in Gaza
85. Notes that the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has had a very strong impact on the budget of the EEAS
through rising inflation, not least in many parts of the world where the EEAS carries out most of its operations,
such inflation has also had an impact on increasing expenses for security and IT equipment;
86. Notes that the delegation in Ukraine has 108 staff members of which around 60 % were local and 40 % expatriate
staff before the invasion and that non-essential staff were asked to leave a week before the outbreak of the invasion;
notes furthermore, that the Union Delegation to Russia in January had 25 expatriate staff and 36 local staff and two
staff from the EIB and that Russia, in April 2022, expelled 18 members of the Delegation after 19 members of the
Russian Permanent mission to the EI in Brussels were declared personae non grata;
87. Emphasises that the Union needs to continue developing a robust and resilient external service with clear political
leadership in order to order to tackle the current challenges and ensure the coherence of the Union’s foreign policy;
in that respect notes the key role of the EEAS and especially of its Delegations in the context of the geopolitical
impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the resulting need to support partner countries around the
world and strengthen global alliances; highlights the importance of continued strong political engagement and
leverage at bilateral level, as well as in public and cultural diplomacy to promote the Union’s values, principles and
interests, and in strategic communications to combat disinformation; calls for more efficient use of available
resources to be introduced to avoid putting the Union’s effectiveness at risk on the international scene; calls on the
EEAS to continue its efforts to modernise its approaches and invest in new skills and capabilities while increasing
cost-efficiency;
88. Is extremely concerned about the continued engagement of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the
Russian President despite Union sanctions and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes
against the latter in light of the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine; stresses that, under Article 24(3)
TEU, Member States have the obligation to support the Union’s external and security policy actively and
unreservedly in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity, and shall refrain from actions contrary to the Union’s
interest; reminds the HR/VP of his obligation to ensure Member States’ compliance with the principles under this
article, and invites him, against this backdrop, to report to Parliament on his consideration of the Hungarian Prime
Minister’s policy vis-à-vis Russia and compliance with this Treaty article, as well as any potential action he has
undertaken;
89. Strongly condemns the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war in Ukraine, classifying it as a war
crime; highlights the growing reports of human trafficking, sexual violence, exploitation, rape and abuse faced by
women and children fleeing Ukraine to Europe; calls on Member States to address the specific needs of women and
girls in reception centres, ensuring immediate availability of gender-based violence services; urges the Union and
host and transit countries to guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services; calls on the
Union and its Member States to support organisations providing services and shelter to gender-based violence
survivors among refugee women and girls;
90. Deeply regrets all conflict-related sexual violence; emphasises that this targeted form of brutal sexual violence and
torture against women is systematically used in war conflicts to terrorise and to humiliate the population; in this
context, strongly deplores the devastating suffering of women during the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 in
which Hamas perpetrated rape and other forms of ferocious sexual torture against women, female teenagers and
girls of Israeli and other nationalities, according to a UN mission report and a report of the Association of Rape
Crisis Centers in Israel; regrets the lack of leadership of the EEAS and the Commission and their delayed reactions to
these cruel attacks; strongly calls on the EEAS to establish a better global strategy to prevent these kinds of attacks, to
provide support to women living in areas of risk and conflict zones, and to continue to publicly condemn any kind
of sexual violence and torture;
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91. Welcomes that the HR/VP convened an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council on 10 October 2023shortly after the
horrific Hamas terror attack on Israel; further takes note that the European Council established a common position
on the situation in Israel and Palestine at its extraordinary meeting on 17 October 2023 including an action plan
with several work strands; is extremely concerned about speculation that Union taxpayers’ money could be used by
Hamas, instead of benefitting the Palestinian civilian population, and thus, notes with satisfaction that the review of
the Union’s assistance for Palestine finalised in November 2023(1)has shown that no evidence has been found to
date that money has been diverted for unintended purposes; is concerned by the serious allegations made by Israel
that 12 UNRWA employees might have been involved in acts of terror and notes that the Agency immediately
terminated their contracts, launched a UN investigation and appointed an independent review group; notes the
EEAS’ constant monitoring to prevent Union funds being misused by terrorist organisations such as Hamas; notes
that the review has also shown that the Commission applies adequate ex ante and ex post controls and that the
safeguards in place are effective; recalls the Agency's irreplaceable role in the humanitarian response in Gaza, and in
ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of vital services to vulnerable Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East;
asks the EEAS to keep Parliament informed about changes in cooperation between the EEAS and the Palestinian
Authority;
92. Acknowledges that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in Gaza impose a financial burden
on Member States, European citizens, and the functioning of Union institutions. Emphasises the importance of
reviewing the allocated financial resources for Ukraine and Gaza to ensure transparency and accountability in the
utilisation of these funds.
(1) Communication to the Commission ‘Review of ongoing financial assistance for Palestine’, C(2023)8300 final.
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