EU PERM REPS STRUCTURE

Permanent Representations are basically the Brussels arm of national Government Departments, with Permanent Representatives predominantly coming from their countries’ Foreign Service. Most staff nevertheless come from a range of Government Departments, including Trade and Industry, Finance, Employment and Agriculture. In seconding staff to Permanent Representations, Government Departments choose people of good quality. This is partly because of their effectiveness while they are in Brussels; Governments require skilled individuals that are able to negotiate effectively in meetings. Many of these individuals will have already obtained experience of EU affairs from a domestic context. But these officials obtain far more detailed knowledge of the subject matter while working in the Permanent Representation in Brussels.

This very structure of the Permanent Representations, comprising staff from a whole range of Government Departments, marks this diplomatic posting from all others. This is because other Foreign Office postings, such as Embassies, are primarily comprised of career diplomats. The differing composition of a Permanent Representation consequently means that it is not as easy to establish a coherent team and hence the management skills of the Permanent Representative will play a major factor in determining operational effectiveness.

For some, a post in a Permanent Representation can become a stepping stone to a job within an EU institution, as is equally true for officials in those Government Departments that are closely involved with EU affairs. That is not to say that closer contact with the EU institutions always leads to a pro-European outlook. Appointments are not just made with a view to the period of secondment (normally 3-5 years), but also with a view to providing a broad structure of career training for officials marked out for senior positions. The reason for doing this is one of pragmatism. This is because it is obviously a great help to those who are involved in EU policy-making to have domestic contacts that are familiar with operational procedures in Brussels. It reduces the amount of time spent explaining matters of policy co-ordination and ensures there is an effective ‘knit’ between the domestic and EU level. One notable effect of these appointments has been the dramatic increase in the number of domestic staff who have obtained first-hand experience of policy-making in the EU. In conjunction with the sheer number of staff who support Permanent Representations on a daily basis, this has led to an erosion in the traditional distinction between domestic and international policy-making, producing a trend towards the Europeanisation of domestic governance.

The need to have a large staff permanently based in Brussels is often reinforced by the distance of national Government from the EU capital. The only nation that could be exempted from this rule is Belgium because its central Government officials are located in Brussels and can assist the Permanent Representation. But the Belgian Permanent Representation does not by any means have the smallest staff of all member states. One of the reasons for this is the importance attributed to teamwork in Permanent Representations, with staff often having to respond quickly to negotiating positions. It is therefore a great benefit to have a permanent group of officials, rather than constantly drawing together a disparate group depending on the issue in question. (Permanent Representations also receive additional support from national capitals.)

The size of Permanent Representations depends on the resources available to each member state and the way in which it wants to organise its relations with the EU.  The sheer number and frequency of Committee meetings means that those nations that are at a greater distance from Brussels are less able to staff their Permanent Representations on a daily basis. The EU budget attempts to create a level playing field by providing travel costs for a limited number of those officials coming from national capitals.  The close proximity of France, Germany and Britain enables them to draw at short notice on the expert advice within national capitals.