Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Extension of the external service: opening of a delegation in Iceland and an office in Libya
Date: 2009-10-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Commission Delegation, European Commission, Iceland, Libya, foreign policy

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 14.10.2009 
COM(2009) 550 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

EXTENSION OF THE EXTERNAL SERVICE: OPENING OF A DELEGATION IN 
ICELAND AND AN OFFICE IN LIBYA 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

EXTENSION OF THE EXTERNAL SERVICE: OPENING OF A DELEGATION IN 
ICELAND AND AN OFFICE IN LIBYA 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In a communication adopted on 23 December 2008, the Commission announced its 
decision to open a new delegation to the Council of Europe and a new delegation in 
Uzbekistan.  The  same  communication  arranged  for  upgrading  of  the  regionalised 
delegations  in  Djibouti,  Kyrgyzstan,  Liberia,  Nepal,  Tajikistan,  Togo  and  Yemen. 
These actions should be finalised by the end of the year. 

The development and consolidation of the network mentioned in the communication 
of  23  December  2008  required  16  redeployments  of  officials’  posts  within  the 
External Service or from Relex family Directorates-General to the delegations. Any 
further  development  of  the  External  Service  can  only  be  achieved  with  additional 
resources and therefore only the most urgent actions can be undertaken. 

Against this background, the present communication addresses, on the one hand, the 
fact that Iceland applied on 23 July 2009 for membership in conformity with Article 
49 of the Treaty on European Union and, on the other hand, the prospect of a new 
contractual basis for relations with Libya. 

2. 

RATIONALE FOR OPENING A NEW DELEGATION IN ICELAND AND AN 
OFFICE IN LIBYA 

2.1 

Iceland 

So far, Iceland has not been part of the enlargement agenda. However, the country is 
closely linked to the European Union as a member of the European Economic Area. 
Bilateral relations between the Commission and Iceland are currently followed by the 
Delegation in Norway. 

Following  Iceland’s  application  for  membership,  the  Council  at  its  meeting  of  27 
July 2009 decided to implement the procedure laid down in Article 49 of the Treaty 
on  European  Union  and,  accordingly,  requested  the  Commission  to  submit  its 
opinion  on  the  application.  The  Commission’s  opinion  is  based  inter  alia  on  the 
replies  provided  by  the  applicant  country  to  a  detailed  questionnaire  covering  all 
aspects of the acquis communautaire. 

Already  during  this  preparatory  phase,  regular  contacts  take  place  between  the 
Commission  departments  and  the  competent  authorities  of  the  applicant  country  in 
order  to  ensure  a  good  mutual  understanding:  such  contacts  are  of  particular 
importance  for  drafting  the  Commission’s  opinion  on  Iceland’s  application.  These 
contacts  are  further  intensified  if  and  when  the  Council  decides  on  opening  formal 

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accession negotiations and therefore it is standard practice for the Commission to be 
present on the ground in all applicant countries. 

In  line  with  this  usual  policy,  there  is  a  strong  case  for  opening  a  delegation  in 
Iceland  at  short  notice.  Pending  the  opening  of  a  fully  fledged  delegation  in 
Reykjavik, the Delegation in Oslo is ready to open an antenna in Reykjavik and/or 
send a member of staff to Iceland on long-term mission. For this purpose, following 
the  framework  detailed  in  the  communication  of  23  December  2008,  Reykjavik  is 
designated a place of employment distinct from delegations, allowing the assignment 
of external staff prior to the opening of the delegation. 

2.2 

Libya 

Libya is a key country in such areas as the fight against terrorism, peace and security 
in  Africa,  illegal  immigration  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  energy.  It  is  also 
playing an increasingly active role in the region, including in the African Union, in 
the  Sahel,  in  the  CEN-SAD  organisation  and  in  the  Arab  Maghreb  Union.  As 
political  relations  and  dialogue  with  Libya  are  developing  rapidly,  a  permanent 
presence on the spot is necessary. 

Since the lifting of international sanctions on Libya in 2003, the European Union has 
developed a policy of gradual engagement with Libya. The main milestones of this 
process have been the October 2004 Council conclusions announcing numerous steps 
towards a policy of engagement with Libya and the October 2007 Council decision 
to  start  the  process  of  negotiating  a  Framework  Agreement  with  Libya,  given  that 
relations  between  the  European  Community  and  Libya  are  currently  taking  place 
outside a bilateral legal framework. 

It  is  envisaged  that  this  agreement  will  establish  mechanisms  for  political  dialogue 
and  cooperation  in  the  field  of  foreign  and  security  policy,  as  well  as  for  dialogue 
and  cooperation  on  economic  issues.  It  will  contain  provisions  for  a  deep  and 
comprehensive  free  trade  area  (FTA)  covering  trade  in  goods  and  services, 
investment issues and other key trade rules (intellectual property rights, competition, 
public procurement, etc.). The agreement will also provide for close cooperation on 
justice,  freedom  and  security  issues  as  well  as  on  many  sectoral  issues,  such  as 
energy, transport, the environment, agriculture and rural development, fisheries and 
maritime  governance,  social 
technology.  The  ongoing 
negotiations  on  the  Framework  Agreement  require  a  constant  flow  of  information 
among  the  two  parties  and  a  direct  presence  in  Tripoli  would  greatly  facilitate  the 
negotiation  process  and  the  subsequent  implementation  of  the  Agreement,  when  it 
enters into force. 

issues,  science  and 

Until  2004,  Libya  did  not  benefit  from  any  European  Union  financial  assistance. 
Since  then,  financial  assistance  has  been  provided  through  direct  contracts  with 
European  or  international  service  providers.  The  Commission  intends  to  provide 
more  substantial  financial  assistance  to  Libya  as  of  2011,  mainly  through  the 
European  Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument  (ENPI).  The  development  of 
our  financial  cooperation  also  requires  a  presence  on  the  ground,  namely  for  the 
efficient and sound management of the future cooperation projects, including day-to-
day contacts in order to support the Libyan public administrations, as well as external 
contractors, that will prepare and implement this assistance. 

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Taking into account this background, it is proposed to establish in Tripoli a place of 
employment  distinct  from  delegations.  This  office  should  be  attached  to  the 
delegation in Tunis. In the future, it could be envisaged to convert this office into a 
regionalized delegation, according to the availability of the required resources. 

3. 

HUMAN AND BUDGETARY RESOURCES 

The human resources required and available to implement the openings programmed 
in  this  communication  are  shown  in  the  table  below.  This  does  not  preclude  the 
possibility of adding to the strength of these delegations/offices if further resources 
become available. 

As regards Iceland, 5 officials’ posts should be granted on the basis of the final 2010 
allocation.  One  additional  local  staff  post  was  earmarked  in  the  PDB  2010.  As 
regards  Libya,  establishing  a  place  of  employment  as  the  first  step  on  the  way  to 
opening  a  delegation  requires  the  availability  of  2  contract  staff  and  4  local  staff, 
already provided for in the PDB 2010. 

Additional human resources under Heading 5 of the budget 

Delegation 
Office 

Iceland 

Libya 

Officials 

Contract staff 

Local staff 

5 

2 

1 

4 

The  budgetary  resources  to  be  used  are  presented  in  the  table  below,  broken  down 
into start-up expenditure (one-off expenses directly linked to programmed openings) 
and annual expenditure (which is recurrent, and linked to the running costs of new 
delegations). 

Delegation 
Office 

Iceland 

Libya 

Total 

Budgetary resources 

Start-up expenditure 

Annual expenditure 

€536 250 

€298 650 

€834 900 

€1 572 110 

€793 992 

€2 366 102 

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LEGISLATIVE  FINANCIAL  STATEMENT  FOR  PROPOSALS  HAVING  A 
BUDGETARY IMPACT EXCLUSIVELY LIMITED TO THE REVENUE SIDE 

1. 

NAME OF THE PROPOSAL: 

POLICY AREA(S): EXTERNAL RELATIONS  

ACTIVITY  (-IES):  EXTERNAL  SERVICE  –  ADMINISTRATIVE  EXPENDITURE  OF 
THE DELEGATIONS 

Title  of  draft  decision:  COMMUNICATION  FROM  THE  COMMISSION  TO  THE 
COUNCIL  AND  THE  EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT  –  EXTENSION  OF  THE 
EXTERNAL SERVICE : OPENING OF DELEGATIONS IN ICELAND AND LIBYA 

1. 

BUDGET LINE(S) + HEADING(S) 

XX.010102: Expenditure related to staff in active employment of the delegations of 
the Commission of the European Communities  

XX.010202:  Expenditure  related  to  external  staff  of  the  delegations  of  the 
Commission of the European Communities  

XX.010212: Other management expenditure of the delegations of the Commission of 
the European Communities  

XX.010302: Buildings and related expenditure of the delegations of the Commission 
of the European Communities  

2. 

LEGAL BASIS 

Administrative autonomy of the Commission 

3. 

DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS 

It is proposed to open a new delegation in Iceland and an office in Libya.  

Following  Iceland’s  application  for  membership,  regular  contacts  between  the 
Commission  services  and  the  competent  authorities  of  the  applicant  country  are 
necessary for the elaboration of the Commission’s opinion on Iceland’s application. 
These contacts are further intensified as of the date the Council decides on opening 
formal  accession  negotiations  and  it  is  therefore  standard  practice  for  the 
Commission to be present on the ground in all applicant countries. 

Libya is a key country in such areas as the fight against terrorism, peace and security 
in  Africa,  illegal  immigration  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  energy.  It  also  has  an 
increasingly active role in the region, including in the African Union, in the Sahel, in 
the  CEN-SAD  organisation  and  in  the  Arab  Maghreb  Union.  Because  the  political 

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relations and dialogue with Libya is developing rapidly, a permanent presence on the 
spot is necessary. 

4. 

4.1 

DURATION AND ADDITIONAL COSTS 

Period of application 

(cid:133)  Decision  with  a  limited  duration:  decision  in  force  from  [starting  date]  to 
[expiry date] 

(cid:59)  Decision  with  an  indefinite  duration:  decision  in  force  from  the  beginning  of 
2010.  In  the  case  of  Libya  it  will  be  of  indefinite  duration  and  in  Iceland  it  will 
continue  until  such  time  as  Iceland  becomes  a  Member  State  (after  which  it  will 
become a Representation office). 

4.2 

Estimated budgetary impact 

The draft decision entails: 

(cid:133) 

Savings 

(cid:59)  Additional costs related to salary and other costs of the statutory and external 
personnel  required  for  the  correct  functioning  of  the  proposed  new  delegation  in 
Iceland and the new office in Libya. 

4.3 

Explanation of figures 

The  additional  costs  relate  to  the  salary  and  associated  infrastructure  costs  of  the 
personnel, both statutory and external, required for the opening of the proposed two 
new places of employment. Detailed calculations specifying the precise nature of the 
estimated expenditure in each case are attached. 

5. 

IMPACT ON FINANCIAL PROGRAMMING 

(cid:59) 

The proposal is compatible with existing financial programming. 

(cid:133) 
The proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the financial 
perspective  without  requiring  application  of  the  provisions  of  the  Inter-institutional 
Agreement. 

(cid:133) 
The proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the financial 
perspective  and  require  application  of  the  provisions  of  the  Inter-institutional 
Agreement. 

6. 

IMPACT  OF  SAVINGS  OR  ADDITIONAL  COSTS  ON  THE  ALLOCATION 
OF RESOURCES 

(cid:133)  Resources already allocated to the department(s) concerned 

(cid:59)  Resources already allocated under the APS/PDB exercise for year 2010. 

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The APB 2010 foresees the allocation of credits for the creation of 2 contract agent 
posts and 4 local agents for the proposed office in Libya 

(cid:133)  Resources to be requested during the next APS/PDB procedure  

(cid:133)  Resources  to  be  obtained  by  means  of  internal  redeployment  within 
departments 

(cid:59)  Resources needed for year 2010 but not planned under the APS/PDB exercise 
for the year concerned 

The opening of the delegation in Iceland will require the immediate allocation of 5 
statutory posts (officials) and 1 local. These resources will be made available through 
an internal Commission redeployment of existing resources. 

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7. 

FORESEEABLE  SCHEDULE  OF  ADDITIONAL  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  ADMINISTRATIVE  APPROPRIATIONS  AND 
HUMAN RESOURCES 

Figures in € 

FTE in 
persons/year 

Year 2010 

Year 2011 

Year 2012 

Year 2013 

Year 2014 

Total/annual cost 

FTE 

approp. 

FTE 

approp. 

FTE 

approp. 

FTE 

approp. 

FTE 

approp. 

FTE 

approp. 

a) Statutory staff (all establishment plans) 

XX 01 01 02 

5 

1.007.000 

5 

825.000 

5 

825.000 

5 

825.000 

5 

825.000 

5 

4.307.000 

b) External staff(1) 

XX 01 02 02 

(CS, SNE, INT and technical 
assistance in the overall 
allocation) 

7 

366.000 

7 

302.000 

7 

302.000 

7 

302.000 

7 

302.000 

7 

1.574.000 

c) Other administrative expenditure(2) 

XX 01 02 12  

(other appropriations in the 
overall allocation) 

Other: XX 01 03 02 

143.000 

143.000 

143.000 

143.000 

143.000 

715.000 

1.686.000 

1.097.000 

1.097.000 

1.097.000 

1.097.000 

6.074.000 

TOTAL 

12 

3.202.000 

12 

2.367.000 

12 

2.367.000 

12 

2.367.000 

12 

2.367.000 

12 

12.670.000 

(1) CS = Contract staff; SNE = Seconded national experts; INT = agency staff (intérimaires) 
(2) ATA = Administrative and technical assistance 

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