Kallas pushes back on Franco-German reform plans for EU diplomatic service
"Majority" of countries support "the current institutional setup" of the EEAS, Europe's foreign policy chief says.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has dismissed plans to overhaul the bloc’s diplomatic branch, insisting that better enforcement of existing rules would improve foreign policy effectiveness. France and Germany have proposed significant reforms to the European External Action Service (EEAS) led by Kallas. The reforms would involve giving her oversight of policy units within the European Commission that handle external relations.
Kallas, however, stated that a majority of foreign ministers supported the current institutional setup of the EEAS. She emphasized that the main issue lies in implementation, not the treaties or the institutional structure. The EEAS is at the center of a growing debate over EU foreign policy, as budget constraints and criticism about its relevance in an era of tense global relations intensify.
The European Commission's growing interest in foreign policy, including the creation of a dedicated unit for the Middle East and Africa, has led to a competitive relationship with Kallas’s EEAS. Kallas argued that her role, as both vice president of the Commission and the European Council, already gives her responsibility for external-facing policy units, but these responsibilities are not effectively enforced.
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