Nov 2009:Catherine Ashton made high representative for foreign affairs and security policy

Dec 2009:Lisbon Treaty comes into force

Apr 2010:General Affairs Council agrees Ashton’s draft EAS ‘decision’ document

Apr 2010: European Commission swiftly follows suit, approving EAS blueprint

Jul 2010:Parliament votes to back EAS in general terms

Sep-Oct 2010:Parliament to vote on EAS’ 2010 budget and new staffing and financial regulations

Oct-Nov 2010: Secretaries-general, directors-general, heads of delegations recruited

Dec 2010:'Virtual EAS' open for business, with legal basis and top staff, but not fully functioning

2013:EAS fully operational; target date for reaching full staff with optimum balance of nationalities, and coming from the Commission, Council Secretariat and member states