The Lisbon Treaty laid out the way the Service would be created:

"The organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service shall be established by a decision of the Council. The Council shall act on a proposal from the High Representative after consulting the European Parliament and after obtaining the consent of the Commission."

In 2010 some important steps were taken. On 25 March the High Representative sent the Council a proposal on the establishment of the EEAS. The proposal, which followed long negotiations and discussions with the various services concerned, included detailed descriptions of how the EEAS would be composed, how its staff would be chosen and treated, and how the member states and other European institutions would be involved. The importance of the EEAS was also clear:

"It will help strengthen the European Union on the global stage, give it more profile, and enable it to project its interests and values more efficiently."

On 8 July 2010 the European Parliament passed a resolution approving this proposal whilst adding in their own comments concerning the appointing of staff, financing of foreign delegations and resolving potential disputes.

On 26 July 2010 the Council of the European Union adopted a decision that confirmed the proposal of the High Representative, with the European Parliament's amendments. The decision was effective immediately. The EEAS was officially launched on 1 January 2011.

The main partners of the EEAS are the European Council, where the heads of State and Governments of all EU member states meet, the European Commission which is the EU executive and the European Parliament which is directly elected by EU citizens.

The EU's foreign policies are steered by the European Council and defined by the Foreign Affairs Council, which brings together the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states once a month in Brussels. The Foreign Affairs Council is responsible for the EU's external action, which includes foreign policy, defence and security, trade, development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

The HR/VP chairs these meetings. Once policies are determined by the Council, the EEAS, where appropriate, is mandated to implement and follow up on these.

The EEAS cooperates with the European Commission on many issues – adopting a comprehensive approach for the EU's foreign policy. The whole College of European Commissioners meets once a week and in addition every month the HR/VP chairs a meeting of all Commissioners whose portfolios deal with international issues – like trade and development for example.

The EU maintains diplomatic relations with nearly all countries in the world and undertakes a range of actions with strategic partners, key international players, and emerging and developing powers. Working alongside the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission’s service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) is responsible for operational expenditures in the crucial area of EU external action.

Finally, the EEAS also works with the European Parliament. The HR/VP regularly reports on foreign policy and his activities to the Members of the European Parliament and answers their questions. The EEAS assists the HR/VP with this task. The European Parliament provides a platform for exchange on foreign policy among institutional and governmental policy-makers, as well as civil society, including think tanks and academics. Along with the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament must approve the annual common foreign and security budget.