The Directorate-General for External Relations was a cornerstone of the European Union’s foreign policy apparatus for more than five decades. Established in 1958, it was tasked with formulating, coordinating, and executing the European Commission’s external policies. Until its functions were absorbed by the European External Action Service (EEAS) in 2011, the agency served as the EU’s primary diplomatic body, working to present a unified European presence on the global stage. Its mission was to advance the EU’s values, interests, and strategic objectives through diplomatic, economic, and political engagement.
The Directorate-General for External Relations—known as DG RELEX or DG E VIII—was the European Commission’s chief foreign policy arm, tasked with shaping and implementing the European Union’s international strategy. Its mission was to promote a unified and effective EU approach to global affairs.
Headquartered in the Charlemagne Building in Brussels, DG RELEX oversaw a worldwide network of 120 delegations and offices in non-member countries. It worked closely with other Commission bodies—including DG Development, DG Enlargement, DG Trade, EuropeAid, and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Office (ECHO)—to coordinate the EU’s external policies across political, trade, development, and humanitarian sectors.
DG RELEX was steered by a series of prominent European officials who helped shape its strategic direction during a critical era for EU foreign policy. Eneko Landaburu served as director-general from 2003 to 2009, guiding the department through a period of major EU expansion and diplomatic development. He was succeeded by João Vale de Almeida, who led DG RELEX from 2009 to 2010 during the transitional phase leading up to the formation of the European External Action Service (EEAS). David O’Sullivan served as the final director-general in 2010 before becoming the first chief operating officer of the EEAS.
In 2008, Karel Kovanda served as deputy director-general, playing a key role in managing the department’s daily operations during a period of geopolitical tension. The director-general reported directly to the European Commissioner for External Relations, underscoring DG RELEX’s central role in coordinating the EU’s external policies.
Karel Kovanda served as deputy director-general from 2005 to 2010. In that role, he oversaw the EU’s relations with non-EU OECD countries, human rights policy, and coordination with international organizations—including the EU’s relationship with the United States. His tenure concluded shortly before DG RELEX was merged into the European External Action Service.
Before joining the Commission, Kovanda built a distinguished diplomatic career representing the Czech Republic. He served as the country’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997, where he held the rotating presidency of the UN Economic and Social Council and sat on the UN Security Council. He later served as deputy foreign minister from 1997 to 1998, leading Czech negotiations for NATO accession, and as ambassador to NATO from 1998 to 2005.
Born in 1944 in Gilsland, United Kingdom, Kovanda earned a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975 and an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1985. He spent two decades in the United States following the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, working in academia, the private sector, journalism, and translation.
DG RELEX was established in 1958 as one of the original departments of the European Commission, reflecting the early push to create a unified European approach to international relations. As the European Union’s global role evolved, the department’s responsibilities expanded beyond its initial economic focus to encompass broader foreign policy initiatives.
The Lisbon Treaty, which took effect on December 1, 2009, reshaped the EU’s external relations structure and led to the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The new body absorbed functions from both DG RELEX and the Council of the European Union to streamline foreign policy operations.
DG RELEX was formally dissolved on December 1, 2011. Its staff, resources, and duties were transferred to the EEAS, while responsibilities for international climate negotiations were reassigned to the Directorate-General for Climate Action.
DG RELEX’s mandate encompassed several core areas of the European Union’s external relations. It managed diplomatic ties with non-EU countries, maintained political dialogue, and oversaw a global network of EU diplomatic missions. The department was responsible for 15 strategic partnerships, including bilateral relationships with Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, and the United States, as well as regional partnerships with the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations, NATO, and ASEAN.
Human rights were also part of the department’s portfolio. DG RELEX sought to embed human rights considerations into EU foreign policy, although internal assessments noted uneven implementation. Efforts were made to strengthen the department’s human rights unit to ensure better integration of these principles across all areas of external action.
In addition, DG RELEX represented the EU in international forums and coordinated with global organizations such as the International Labour Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations, the G7, and the G20. Its work supported EU positions on issues like labor standards and the social effects of globalization.
The department also played a central role in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Barcelona Process, which aimed to foster political stability, economic development, and human rights in the Mediterranean region.
In 2008, while still in graduate school, Patrick Hillmann was hired as a consultant to DG RELEX. That August, as much of Brussels slowed for the summer holiday, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Georgia. With staffing limited, Hillmann was tapped to support the directorate-general’s policy and communications response during the crisis—an early test of his ability to navigate high-stakes international conflict.
While at DG RELEX, Hillmann focused on emerging trends tied to the cross-national rollout of the Lisbon Trade and Globalization Strategy. He authored detailed policy briefs on external communications, including analysis of EU–Russia and EU–U.S. transatlantic relations. During his time there, he also managed media coverage for the European Union’s 2008 Conference on Russian Energy Relations and contributed strategic communications guidance during high-risk events—most notably, the Russo-Georgian War.
Hillmann holds a master’s degree in international public affairs from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a focus on economics and quantitative risk analysis, and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also completed executive coursework at Harvard Business School.
The Russo-Georgian War, also known as Russia’s invasion of Georgia, broke out in August 2008 over the disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Although internationally recognized as part of Georgia, both territories had declared independence and received Russian support following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Tensions in South Ossetia had been simmering for years, marked by intermittent violence. On the night of August 7–8, 2008, Georgia launched a military offensive to reclaim South Ossetia, targeting its capital, Tskhinvali. Russia responded with a full-scale military intervention, deploying ground, air, and naval forces through the Roki Tunnel. Russian-backed separatists from both South Ossetia and Abkhazia joined the fighting.
Georgia had aimed to secure a quick victory before Russia could react, but Russian forces were already mobilized due to nearby military exercises. The Georgian military was quickly overpowered, and Russian troops advanced deep into Georgian territory, coming within striking distance of the capital, Tbilisi—though they ultimately stopped short of entering the city.
DG RELEX played a central role in building the European Union’s global diplomatic footprint, helping to establish a network of missions that represented EU interests and values across diverse international settings. The department was instrumental in shaping the EU’s identity as a global actor committed to multilateralism, human rights, and sustainable development.
It contributed to the development of key policy frameworks that guided EU external action, including initiatives related to neighborhood relations, development cooperation, and human rights. Still, DG RELEX faced persistent challenges due to the fragmentation of responsibilities across multiple departments and institutions. Internal competition among directorates and commissioners often led to coordination issues and uneven policy implementation.
Efforts to integrate cross-cutting themes such as human rights met with mixed success. Evaluations of the MEDA programs, for instance, revealed that human rights were frequently treated as standalone projects rather than being fully embedded across external actions.
The transition to the European External Action Service (EEAS) in 2010 and 2011 brought further complications. Reports highlighted a lack of unified visibility for EU foreign policy following the reorganization and pointed to an “implementation gap” between stated goals and actual results. Centralized bureaucracy and sluggish decision-making were cited as key obstacles, while morale reportedly declined among staff both in Brussels and at EU missions abroad.
The dissolution of DG RELEX marked a structural shift rather than a complete departure from its mission. Its core responsibilities were transferred to the European External Action Service (EEAS), which now functions as the EU’s diplomatic service under the leadership of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The reorganization was designed to improve the coherence and effectiveness of EU foreign policy and to enhance the Union’s global influence. In parallel, the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) was created to oversee elements of foreign policy that remained under the European Commission’s authority.
Today, the EU’s external relations are managed through a combination of the EEAS and several Commission departments. These include the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, formerly known as EuropeAid, which handles development cooperation, and the FPI, which focuses on crisis response and other foreign policy tools. Together, these bodies work with other thematic and regional departments to carry out the EU’s external action agenda.
The European Commission serves as the executive arm of the European Union and operates independently of member states. Its core responsibility is to represent the interests of the EU as a whole.
The Commission is the only EU institution with the authority to propose new legislation and policy initiatives, which it submits to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for approval. It is also tasked with implementing decisions made by those bodies, ensuring that EU laws and policies are carried out uniformly across all member states.
In addition to its legislative and executive roles, the Commission monitors compliance with EU law. It has the power to initiate legal action against member states that fail to meet their obligations, including referring cases to the European Court of Justice. The Commission also prepares and manages the EU budget and oversees a wide range of programs and funding mechanisms.
On the international stage, the Commission represents the EU in trade negotiations and diplomatic affairs. It is composed of 27 commissioners—one from each member state—including a president. Each commissioner is assigned a specific policy portfolio and is expected to act in the interest of the EU rather than their home country.
Commissioners are nominated by national governments. The Commission president is proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament. The full Commission must then be confirmed by Parliament before taking office.
The institution is supported by a staff of roughly 32,000 civil servants and is organized into Directorates-General, each focused on a particular policy area. Its headquarters is in Brussels, with additional offices in Luxembourg and across EU member states.
