The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held by Kaja Kallas.
The Treaty of Amsterdam, signed in 1997 and entered into force in 1999, had established the position of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy. The position's purview was augmented by the Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007 and entered into force in 2009, which established its current title and authorities, including a seat on the European Commission as Vice-President and the chair of the council of EU foreign ministers. The first person to hold the full title of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, inaugurated upon the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, was Catherine Ashton. Early in the first term of the post, the office holder became assisted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) that was set up in December 2010.
