A reported overhaul could strip powers from Kaja Kallas\u2019 diplomatic service<\/p>\n
The European Commission is considering creating a new foreign affairs department in a move that would strip powers from the EU\u2019s diplomatic service headed by Kaja Kallas, according to Politico. The reported plans are the latest sign of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s push to tighten her grip on the bloc\u2019s foreign policy apparatus.
\nThe proposal is one of several options under review as the commission reassesses how it manages the bloc\u2019s external relations, Politico reported on Monday. Officials told the outlet it could involve merging departments responsible for trade and regional policy into one \u201csupercharged\u201d body.
\nThe reported overhaul comes less than a month after the Financial Times reported that France and Germany were discussing a radical overhaul of Kallas\u2019 External Affairs Service (EEAS). Created under the Lisbon Treaty in 2010, the EEAS took over many foreign policy functions previously handled by the European Commission.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
EU members could revolt against Kallas\u2019 powers \u2013 FT<\/p>\n
According to the FT, officials described the EEAS as \u201cdysfunctional\u201d and questioned whether it could coordinate effective responses to crises such as Ukraine and the Middle East.
\nKallas and von der Leyen have reportedly been locked in a tug of war over who should steer EU foreign policy. Von der Leyen is said to have outmaneuvered the former Estonian prime minister by taking direct control of key geographic portfolios and pushing for a new intelligence body reporting directly to her office.
\nThe issue became prominent during the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in spring, when the EU took nearly two days to produce a unified response. Kallas and von der Leyen released separate statements and reportedly did not speak directly throughout the weekend when the operation started, while member states remained divided over the bloc\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Von der Leyen\u2019s power grab angers EU officials \u2013 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
Moscow has long portrayed Kallas as an uncompromising Russia hawk and repeatedly questioned her suitability for the role. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the EU\u2019s top diplomat of acting \u201cbeyond the scope of her mandate,\u201d while Russian officials have argued that Brussels has abandoned diplomacy in favor of sanctions and confrontation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A reported overhaul could strip powers from Kaja Kallas\u2019 diplomatic service The European Commission is considering creating a new foreign affairs department in a move that would strip powers from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t