Kallas scraps new high-level European defense group in fresh blow to her leadership

European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas was compelled to abandon the debut of a new elite defense task force on Sunday, following mounting pressure from member states, potentially dealing another setback to the former Estonian prime minister. Kallas is spearheading a clandestine effort to challenge plans from France and Germany to revamp the EU's external affairs agency, which could potentially empower the European Commission with a greater say in foreign policy.

The group, dubbed as a platform for "the sharpest minds" to devise strategies to address EU defense shortcomings swiftly and efficiently, was viewed by some diplomats as a means for Kallas to maintain her relevance. An unnamed senior EU diplomat commented on her behind-the-scenes conflict with the Commission over these plans. The launch of the group, scheduled for Monday morning at Brussels' Bibliothèque Solvay, was to gather around 150 attendees from EU institutions, think tanks, academia, and NATO.

The chairmanship was to be held by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, while former defense ministers like Estonia's Jüri Luik and France's Florence Parly were expected to be part of the team. Germany, along with other non-EU countries including the UK and Ukraine, were also expected to have representatives. The task force was to draft a report on the outcomes of its work, overseen by Rasmussen.

Despite the initiative aiming to rejuvenate the EEAS, diplomats have expressed concerns over potential overlap with the Commission's activities, particularly with Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius' existing network of think tanks and former leaders. The decision to cancel was attributed to a lack of proper groundwork and coordination in some capitals, but another EU official attributed it to internal Italian politics, specifically a dispute surrounding potential members of the group.