POLITICO: EU weighs abolition of EEAS foreign service amid internal split

A group of European Union officials is advocating the abolition of the European External Action Service, while support for preserving the bloc’s diplomatic arm appears limited, POLITICO reports, citing sources.

“There is a group within both the Council, which represents the 27 national governments, and the Commission that wants to dismantle the EEAS,” an EU official told POLITICO on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “Others defend it, but they are not as strong.”

According to the report, an increasing number of responsibilities previously handled by the EEAS are being transferred to the European Commission. One diplomat argued that in the modern world, diplomacy cannot be separated from trade, technology policy, or industrial policy, noting that all of those instruments are controlled by the Commission.

POLITICO said the division of responsibilities between the EEAS and the European Commission has become increasingly blurred in practice. At the same time, Ursula von der Leyen, as President of the European Commission, does not require unanimous support from member states to make certain decisions.

The report also highlighted a personal rivalry between von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. According to an unnamed diplomat, Kallas privately criticised von der Leyen’s leadership style and referred to her as a “dictator.”

At the same time, Kallas is said to recognise the structural challenges facing the EU’s diplomatic service. A European official told the outlet that she has pledged to introduce internal reforms by the end of the summer.

By Jeyhun Aghazada