With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, for the first semester of 2010 the Delegation of the European Union to the UN and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the UN will work jointly to represent the EU at the UN, on behalf of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Catherine Ashton, who oversees the EU's external relations.
In the past the EU was represented by the Member State currently holding the 6-month rotating Presidency of the EU Council because only States can be members of the UN. However, the EU Presidency no longer plays a role in the Union's external relations.
In the years prior to the Lisbon Treaty's entry into force, the EU was also represented in the format of a troika comprised of the current and future presidencies, the Commission, and the EU Council in a certain number of contacts with partners in the UN. This ensured continuity from one presidency to the next.
Within the UN Security Council, EU positions were traditionally represented by sitting EU Member States, whether elected or permanent members.
On 6 January 2010, the European Union Delegation took the floor for the first time in the UN Security Council in the debate on the situation in Afghanistan. In the past such statements were delivered by the EU member state holding the rotating Presidency. This is a first visible sign of the new Treaty of Lisbon in the UN context.
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