Key facts
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is defending the European External Action Service (EEAS).
- France has proposed overhauling the EU's diplomatic service, circulating a paper with three reform scenarios.
- Proposals include transferring foreign policy powers to the European Commission or strengthening the European Council's role.
- Another scenario suggests bolstering the High Representative's authority over geopolitical portfolios.
- Kallas stated that significant reforms would require treaty changes, which are not currently being considered.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has publicly defended her diplomatic service, the European External Action Service (EEAS), as member states, particularly France, consider significant reforms to the bloc's foreign policy apparatus. Discussions are intensifying over how to make the EU's foreign policy more agile in a volatile global landscape.
France has led efforts to outline potential overhauls, circulating a discussion paper detailing three scenarios. One option would dilute the powers of the High Representative, currently held by Kallas, by transferring key foreign policy competences to the European Commission, a move that would benefit Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Another scenario suggests assigning a strengthened role to the European Council, giving member states more operational control over external relations.
A third, contrasting option would bolster the High Representative's role, granting greater oversight of portfolios held by European commissioners that have significant geopolitical implications, such as trade. Kallas, in an internal email seen by Euronews, pushed back against the prospect of a diluted role, emphasizing that institutional roles are clearly defined in EU treaties and that significant reforms would necessitate treaty changes, which are not currently under serious consideration.
The debate over restructuring the EEAS has gained momentum due to the recent opening of the service's top post, the secretary general position. Any potential restructuring is also expected to be linked to ongoing negotiations for the EU's next seven-year budget. A ministerial-level discussion is anticipated at the informal Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Ireland on September 2. Kallas is also scheduled to meet with French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday.