The looming entry into force (or not) of the Lisbon Treaty will bring to the fore all the fascinating questions of how and where the EU exercises its new ‘foreign policy’ capability.

First things first.

Who gets which jobs? And even above that: who decides?

Genuinely tricky and interesting from a philosophical point of view. The new High Representative will be ‘anchored’ in both the Commission (representing ‘Brussels’) and the Council of Ministers (representing Member States). So will s/he give a lead to member states in their foreign policy moves, or they to him/her?

For the UK this is part of the wearying issue as to our ‘punching above our weight’. The EU is keen that we punch well below our weight, and punch only when everyone else wants to punch, which is not very often.

But at least we do punch, now and again. Plus we have money and experience. Which is why the new High Representative will need us to support him/her. Hence lots of murky horse-trading behind the scenes. 

One obvious example. How far should we coordinate British policy with EU partners in eg the UN’s ignominious Human Rights Council, if that means adopting positions which are utterly feeble? (Note: to be fair to the EU, these days we strike utterly feeble national positions without any help from others.)

Watch our fellow-Europeans scurry to get something or other set up before those nasty British Conservatives come along and spoil things, by asking awkward questions.