Yes, a major diplomatic shake-up is unfolding following an
exclusive Financial Times report. France, Germany, and other member states are
discussing a drastic overhaul of the EU’s diplomatic service. The talks
threaten to strip powers from EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and her €1
billion-a-year European External Action Service (EEAS).
The movement to "tear apart" the bloc's diplomatic
structure is rooted in several key tensions:
• Structural
Dysfunction: Senior officials and national capitals have increasingly viewed
the EEAS as too slow-moving and weighed down by ongoing turf wars between
member states and the European Commission.
• Redistributing
Power: Proposals under consideration include moving key diplomatic capabilities
and functions back under individual member states or bringing the EEAS entirely
under the authority of the European Commission.
• Kallas'
Assertive Stance: Kallas—who took office—has taken a decidedly confrontational
approach, recently calling out the United States for intentionally seeking to
divide Europe and urging allies not to cut bilateral deals. Her blunt
geopolitical positioning has ruffled feathers in Paris and Berlin.
• Kallas
Pushing Back: In response to the leaked proposals, Kallas defended the
institution in an internal email, highlighting the immense value the diplomatic
service has provided during ongoing conflicts.
While the overhaul is being actively debated, some diplomats
warn that tearing the EEAS apart carries "a real risk that [the EEAS] will
be destroyed”.
"The European
External Action Service (EEAS), led by Kaja Kallas, has come under scrutiny
from European capitals, reports the *Financial Times*. France and Germany are
discussing proposals to reform the European Union’s diplomatic service—which
has existed for 15 years—in order to streamline the bloc's response to
geopolitical crises.
The British daily
cites five senior officials who say that Paris, Berlin, and other capitals are
considering measures that could curtail the powers of EU foreign policy chief
Kaja Kallas and the EEAS.
The EEAS is the
diplomatic service responsible for conducting the EU's foreign and security
policy. It operates with an annual budget of €1 billion, the *FT* notes.
Consideration is being given to shifting some
responsibilities back to the European Commission and individual member states,
the newspaper reports. The aim of these changes would be to "streamline
the bloc's response to geopolitical crises."
The European
External Action Service "is dysfunctional"
"It is
obvious that the EEAS is not functioning as it should in today's world. It is
dysfunctional," one source told the *FT*. "The problem is structural,
and therefore the structure must be overhauled," the source added.
"In recent years, the EU has grappled with conflicts in Ukraine and Iran,
the whims of US President Donald Trump, and the increasingly common use of
tariffs, economic coercion, and energy supplies as foreign policy tools. Many
have questioned whether the EEAS is capable of coordinating effective
responses," the report reads.
A proposal to
reverse the decision to establish the EEAS as an autonomous service is one of
several options detailed in a French government assessment shared with other
member states, the newspaper reports.
"Capitals
are irritated"
One idea put forward by Paris involves curtailing the
autonomy of the EEAS and Kaja Kallas—who currently answer to member states and
the European Commission—and weakening control over the network of more than 140
delegations the EEAS operates worldwide.
"Capitals are irritated and want us to be able to
act together on the international stage," said another official.
"There is a real risk that the EEAS will fall apart," he stated.
According to
sources cited by the *FT*, several countries have argued that the competencies
of the EEAS, national foreign ministries, and institutions within the European
Commission and the European Council overlap and fail to cooperate effectively.
Speaking to the *FT*, an EEAS spokesperson said that Kaja Kallas is "fully
focused on fulfilling her mission" and added that "it is important to
continue strengthening both the EEAS and the Commission. EU foreign policy is
strong when member states are united".“
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