EU Convenes Emergency Meeting On Egypt: EEAS Back In The News

I was going to post the usual update on Egypt when this article appeared. It has been a while since the EU's "EEAS" (European External Action Service) has been discussed. We know from Daniel 9:27 that the coming antichrist will "confirm" the covenant with the many, and part of any confirmation of a peace deal in the Middle East will include some kind of peace-keeping forces. It requires some degree of speculation, but it seems obvious that any plan will have to consider a combination of border control forces and forces on the streets to maintain peace. 

The EEAS was formed for this very purpose, and the fact that this group was born in the revived Roman Empire becomes a compelling story for a prophecy watcher.

If the EEAS is considering involvement in Egypt it is very easy to see similar maneuvering whenever the covenant of Daniel 9:27 is confirmed. This story is worth watching closely:

EU Convenes Emergency Meeting On Egypt

 EU foreign ministers may be called to Brussels for snap talks on Egypt in the coming days.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) said on Thursday (15 August) that ambassadors on the bloc's Political and Security Committee (PSC) will hold a first round of emergency talks on Monday morning.

It noted they will "assess the situation unfolding in Egypt and co-ordinate the member states' and EU position and possible actions."

He added they will "prepare a possible meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, whose date will be announced in due course."

Italian foreign minister Emma Bonino told press the ministers might meet as early as Tuesday.

Denmark has set the tone by suspending two bilateral aid projects in reaction to events on Wednesday, when the Egyptian military killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood protesters in Cairo.

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt told Reuters that EU-level and International Monetary Fund (IMF) aid might also stop.

"We will have to look at the different EU programmes to see which ones are appropriate and which ones are not," he said.

"It will be tricky for the IMF as well to go forward in this situation … The IMF board will have to assess if there is a government that can be seen as credible in terms of economic policy, which doesn't seem to be the case," he added.

He noted there are limits to EU influence, despite its close contacts with the Egyptian military and the Union's financial incentives.

Referring to last minute pleas by EU Middle East envoy Bernardino Leon to army chiefs before the killing began, he said: "We went flat out … I think we did everything we could have done."

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also asked the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session.

But inside Egypt, the scene is set for further confrontation at the weekend.

The Muslim Brotherhood plans to hold nationwide rallies after mosques end Friday prayer services, while anti-Morsi protesters plan to hold counter-marches.

Meanwhile, if the EU suspends aid, it could make matters worse.

The Egyptian economy was already suffering from a massive slump in tourism after its 2011 revolution.

The following link comes from the EU's site under the general heading of EEAS:

European Union External Action: What We Do

Here are a few highlights:

The European Union plays an important role in international affairs through diplomacy, trade, development aid and working with global organisations.

The Lisbon Treaty (2009) led to major developments in the area of external action, with the creation of the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the establishment of the EU's diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The High Representative – a post currently held by Catherine Ashton – exercises, in foreign affairs, the functions previously held by the six-monthly rotating Presidency, the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Commissioner for External Relations.

According to her mandate, the High Representative:   

• conducts the Union's common foreign and security policy;
• contributes by her proposals to the development of that policy, which she carries out as mandated by the Council, and ensures implementation of the decisions adopted;
• presides over the Foreign Affairs Council of Ministers;
• is one of the Vice-Presidents of the Commission and thus ensures the consistency of the Union's external action.
• represents the Union for matters relating to the common foreign and security policy, conducts political dialogue with third parties on the Union's behalf and expresses the Union's position in international fora.
• exercises authority over the European External Action Service and over EU delegations in third countries and at international organisations.

• • Here are just some examples of the role the European Union plays around the world: 
    
    
    
    

• • Peace building: 

• • Through political, practical and economic support the EU has played a crucial role in peace building in the Western Balkans after the Yugoslav wars. From Bosnia-Herzegovina to Montenegro, the EU has used its power to promote peace and reconciliation. The latest example of this is the dialogue being facilitated by the European Union between Serbia and Kosovo – the "Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue".

• 
  

Building security around the world: 

Under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the EU operates civilian and military missions worldwide. These missions carry out a variety of tasks from border management to local police training. For example the Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta off the coast of Somalia tackles piracy and protects humanitarian shipments of the World Food Programme bound for drought hit areas.

Crisis Response & Humanitarian Aid: 

Almost half of all international humanitarian relief comes from the European Union and its members. This provides life saving aid in places like the Horn of Africa where famine stalks whole populations. In addition the European Union stands ready to respond in a coordinated way to any international emergency - be it the earthquake in Haiti, tsunami in Japan or flooding in Pakistan. This brings together all the tools the European Union has at its disposal.

And this:

Parliament Demands Expanded EEAS

The European parliament today passed a non-legislative resolution calling for a more robust and ambitious role for the European External Action Service.

The EEAS was created by the Lisbon treaty to allow the EU to implement the Common Foreign and Security Policy and act on the world stage with greater authority and coherence.

Today’s resolution, which passed 501 to 96 (13 abstentions), calls for four areas of reform for the young agency: organisational streamlining, strengthening of leadership, expansion of services and additional political control.

The parliament would like to see the duplication of effort that exists between the EEAS, the council and the commission ended, with all external relations tasks moved to the EEAS. They also spoke of condensing the current EEAS chain of command, citing slow reaction times to recent events in Mali and elsewhere.

Speaking during the debate, Italian MEP Roberto Gualtieri said, “The EEAS is a key asset for the creation of a truly European foreign policy. The current review should lead to a constructive improvement of its functioning, which must, among other things, result in unifying crisis management units and improving recruitment".

The resolution also requested additional power for the leader of the organisation, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – currently Catherine Ashton. Specifically, it was suggested that the high rep chair the group of other external affairs commissioners and be given more power within their role as a vice president of the commission.

On the front of the EU’s foreign delegations, the MEPs argued for more services and more staff, so as to better represent the EU’s interests abroad. Of particular concern was adding personnel that specialise in issues like security and defence, human rights and women’s’ rights. Expanded consular services were also suggested, especially for EU citizens whose home state is not represented in a given country.