Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat, would gain far-reaching powers to coordinate the European Commission’s external-facing policy units, including on migration and development aid, under proposals being put forward by Paris and Berlin.
Europe’s two big capitals are driving efforts to overhaul the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s foreign policy arm, as raw power politics, AI and budget constraints force a root-and-branch rethink of how it operates.
The EEAS has suffered in a turf war with Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission — while a French discussion paper earlier this year floated the option of bringing it completely under the Commission’s authority.
The new paper from France and Germany is an attempt to boost Kallas’s role while recognizing that much of the real power to conduct foreign policy lies with the Commission.
The proposals also foresee weakening the EEAS somewhat by moving some of its 5,000 staff and functions into the Commission amid pressure to slash the EU’s long-term budget, according to three diplomats who spoke to POLITICO.
The Franco-German paper will be in focus as EU foreign ministers gather Tuesday in Wicklow, Ireland.
Not everyone is pleased: “A big institutional change right now is not realistic,” a EU diplomat said, ruling out any major reforms before the end of von der Leyen’s second term in 2029.
“Let’s face it … EU foreign policy only works if Member States want it,” an EU official, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Brussels Playbook. “Shifting some teams from the EEAS to the Commission won’t fix the Middle East or stop Russia’s war.”
“The EU would have more leverage globally if we’d better align the tools we have — from diplomacy to visa policies, trade, aid and EU missions — in pursuit of European interests. The HRVP [Kallas] can provide that strategic direction, given her link to the Council,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Kallas has sent capitals a brief questionnaire seeking their views and plans to make some “initial proposals” this week, per the EU official.
The five “guiding questions” seek feedback on how: 1) the EU can become a more “strategically assertive global foreign actor”; 2) the EEAS can get more value from its 145 delegations; 3) it can deliver on its treaty mandate; 4) it can streamline its institutional setup with the Commission and Council; and 5) it can contribute more effectively to leaders’ discussions.
But Kallas wants to wait until her new leadership team, including incoming Secretary-General Kajsa Ollongren, is in place before making big moves, the EU official said.