FT: EU may limit powers of diplomatic chief Kallas

European Union member states are exploring options for a potentially radical reform of the bloc’s diplomatic service amid concerns over the performance of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and its head, Kaja Kallas, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing sources.

“Obviously, [the EEAS] is not working as it should in the modern world. It is dysfunctional. The problem is structural, so the structure needs to be rebuilt,” the newspaper quoted one source as saying.

According to the report, European countries are considering stripping Kallas and her department, which operates with a budget of €1 billion, of key powers, with the aim of transferring some of the EEAS’s functions back to EU member states.

Sources said a proposal from Paris includes possible measures to limit the autonomy of the EU’s diplomatic chief and weaken her control over EU delegations worldwide. As a result, the sources warned, “there is a real risk that [the EEAS] will be destroyed.”

At the same time, representatives of member states believe that reforming the EEAS could help reduce costs in Brussels and significantly streamline the bloc’s bureaucratic apparatus.

Several European capitals have privately argued that there is currently excessive overlap and insufficient coordination between the EEAS, national foreign ministries, and the external relations departments of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union.

Moreover, a series of crises facing the European Union has led policymakers to question the effectiveness of the EEAS in coordinating timely decision-making. Kallas herself has also frequently expressed personal views on issues where a collective EU position is expected, the report noted.

By Tamilla Hasanova