ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the European External Action Service, often dubbed the EU’s diplomatic service, its creation and performance evaluation by various audiences such as the media, think tanks and academics. It presents the puzzle of why an organisation that was desired by all sides of the EU political and spectrum fails to galvanise broader support once it is conceived in earnest. The chapter presents the different elements of building of a new bureaucratic body in the EU and outlines the study of the institutional creation of the EEAS from initial establishment via legal foundation to final operation of the EEAS.
