Kallas downplays possibility of EEAS abolition | EURACTIV EN

“The European External Action Service (EEAS) is here to stay,†Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief, said in response to a report reporting Franco-German efforts to “dismantle » this body of the EU.

In an email sent to staff Thursday afternoon, viewed by Euractiv, Kallas refuted media speculation about the future of the EU diplomatic service.

“It is important to remember that the roles and responsibilities of the EU institutions are clearly defined in the treaties. This framework remains unchanged,” she wrote.

“You have already seen that I am committed to a strong EEAS, guarantor of a more solid European foreign and security policy,” added Kallas. “I see that my ministerial counterparts share this desire. HAS”

The EEAS was established in 2010 as an autonomous foreign policy service headed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – ​​a position currently held by Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia.

According to Reutersa document drawn up by French officials suggests three possible paths: placing all diplomatic responsibilities under the Commission, transferring them to the EU Council, or strengthening both the EEAS and Kallas’s powers.

“Discussions are indeed underway regarding the future of the EEAS,” a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs told journalists on Thursday. “But these discussions and the reform process must come from Kallas and his team themselves. HAS”

“What matters most is that we continue to strengthen the Union’s capacity for collective action,” Kallas said in his internal email. “The challenges facing Europe require greater coherence, stronger partnerships and more effective use of all the tools at our disposal. HAS”

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said: “In a world plagued by many crises, we need a strong EU and an effective and competent European foreign policy. Since the creation of the EEAS, we have strived to improve decision-making processes and to give our common foreign and security policy increasingly solid foundations. HAS”

Kallas is engaged in a bitter power struggle with Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president, over who should lead the EU’s work on foreign policy.

Additional reporting by Elisa Braun and Björn Stritzel

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