France and Germany have prepared a proposal to reform European Union diplomacy that could significantly expand the powers of Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, according to a report by Politico published on Monday, August 31. Under the plan, Kallas could gain greater authority to coordinate the work of European Commission (EC) officials responsible for foreign policy, including migration and development aid.
The proposal also envisions a partial weakening of the European External Action Service (EEAS) by transferring some of its staff and responsibilities to the EC. The EEAS has long been in dispute with the European Commission over the division of powers in foreign policy. The Franco-German proposal aims to resolve this conflict by strengthening Kallas’s position and acknowledging that many of the EU’s foreign policy tools already fall under the Commission’s remit. The EEAS currently employs around 5,000 staff and has 145 representations worldwide.
Debate over the future of EU diplomacy
According to Politico, the Paris-Berlin proposal will be one of the topics at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, on Tuesday. However, not all EU diplomats believe the current moment is suitable for such sweeping changes. One diplomat told Politico that «a major institutional change is unrealistic right now», adding that it is unlikely more serious reforms will be implemented before the end of Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as EC president in 2029.
Another EU official said the effectiveness of the Union’s foreign policy depends primarily on the political will of member states, and that transferring some EEAS staff to the Commission would not solve problems in the Middle East or end Russia’s war against Ukraine. In their view, the EU could strengthen its global influence through better coordination of available tools—from diplomacy to visa and trade policy, as well as development aid. Strategic directions for such policy, they argued, could be set by Kallas, who holds the dual role of EU foreign policy chief and participant in the Council of the EU.
Debates over the future of the EEAS are gaining particular relevance ahead of negotiations on the EU budget for 2028–2034. Some countries, including Germany, are pushing for spending cuts.
Source: Gazeta.pl
