TEORIJA IN PRAKSA let. 58, 4/2021 1117 Erik PAJTINKA* THE PRACTICE OF APPOINTING EU AMBASSADORS: LA LANGUE EST-ELLE IMPORTANTE? 1 Abstract. The study tries to discover to what extent knowledge of the local language of a diplomat’s host country, and language skills generally, are considered while selecting candidates for EU delegation heads in the European External Action Service. With this aim, the study examines possible correlations between lan- guages spoken by the EU delegation heads and the offi- cial languages in their respective host countries. It is concluded that a correlation often exists between the language(s), and especially mother tongues, spoken by the EU delegation heads and the official language(s) in the countries to which they are posted and, thus, a candidate’s knowledge of the host country’s official lan- guage is usually taken into account in the selection of candidates for EU delegation heads, although this crite- rion seems to carry different weight for candidates from various EU member countries. Keywords: EEAS, heads of EU delegations, EEAS staffing policy, EU diplomacy, languages in diplomacy Introduction Following the first common diplomatic service of the European Union, the European External Action Service (EEAS) was officially established by the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009. One of the most debated questions in the discussion on the EEAS’ future organisation and functioning was the issue of recruitment rules and procedures, especially those relating to dip- lomatic staff and the EU delegation heads: de facto ‘EU Ambassadors’. In the discussion, some EU member states, particularly those from Central and Eastern Europe, demanded the recruitment rules be based on national quo- tas, arguing that such quotas can best ensure a geographic balance among 1 The study is published within the framework of the research project VEGA No. 1/0437/19 “The importance of the internationalization of higher education for the construction of the identity of the European Union and increasing competitiveness in the European area”. * Erik Pajtinka, PhD, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic. DOI: 10.51936/tip.58.3.1117-1132