Lithuanian Annual Strategic Review

The article analyses institutional reforms of the common foreign and security policy initiated by the Lisbon Treaty. Particular attention is paid to new institutions – the office of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Actions Service. Due to the fact that these institutions have already been labeled as the “EU Diplomatic Service”, the functioning of the national diplomatic service, which is considered an ideal model of the contemporary international affairs actor for the implementation of foreign policy, has been taken as a reference point for this analysis. The author seeks to find out whether the amendment of the fundamental ES existence-period document in essence means the institutionalization of the EU foreign policy that the use of the term “diplomatic service” presupposes, and whether legal and institutional changes will guarantee the consistency and harmony of the EU common foreign and security policy. The article highlights many contradictions and undeveloped decisions of the reform. It is complicated to speak about the birth of the EU diplomatic service because, in spite of all innovations, EU foreign policy has essentially remained a national prerogative.