The nationality structure of the European Union's diplomatic service: towards an adequate representation of all EU member states within the European external action service staff? A case study of Slovenia, Romania and Croatia

Abstract

The article evaluates the representation of three Southeastern European countries -Slovenia, Romania and Croatia- in the staff of the diplomatic service of the European Union, European External Action Service in the period of 2012-2017. The assessment is focused on the development of the representation of these countries in the three most important categories of the EEAS Staff - AD Staff, AST Staff and Contract Agents. The study tries to find an answer to the question of the extent to which the representation of the individual states in the EEAS is adequate, with the basic method of evaluation being a comparison of the given state's percentage of the European Union's overall population versus its percentage of the overall number of EEAS officials in any particular category.