The EU Is Discussing A Radical Reform Of Its Diplomatic Service, Led By Kallas
- 11.06.2026, 14:28
The goal is to improve the European Union's response to geopolitical crises.
France and Germany are discussing proposals for a radical overhaul of the EU’s foreign service, which has been in existence for 15 years, with the aim of improving the European Union’s response to geopolitical crises.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
Paris, Berlin, and other capitals are considering options that would limit the powers of the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and her European External Action Service (EEAS) and returning them to the European Commission and member states, according to five senior officials familiar with the negotiations.
“It is clear that the EEAS is not functioning as it should in today’s world. It is dysfunctional. The problem is structural in nature, so the structure needs to be rebuilt,” said one of the officials.
A detailed reform proposal is outlined in the French government’s assessment and has been shared with other member states. One of the ideas proposed by Paris is to limit the autonomy of the head of diplomacy and weaken her control over the network of more than 140 missions that the EEAS manages in countries around the world.
“Capitals are frustrated and want us to have an effective way to present a united front externally. There is a real risk that the EEAS will fall apart,” said another official.
Supporters of restructuring the diplomatic service believe that reform is possible without amending the EU Treaty, which stipulates that the European External Action Service must “assist” the head of diplomacy under terms agreed upon by member states back in 2010. Any changes to these terms would require unanimous support from all 27 EU member states.
Several countries have privately stated that there is too much duplication and a lack of coordination between the EEAS, national foreign ministries, and the external relations directorates of the European Commission and the Council of the EU, officials noted.
These concerns have intensified because Callas has expressed her own views on issues such as EU-China relations and put forward proposals that have not yet been approved by the capitals.
At the same time, the European External Action Service and the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, are vying for leadership on foreign policy and security issues. Von der Leyen, in particular, has been considering the possibility of creating an intelligence-sharing unit similar to the one that already exists within the EEAS. Callas opposes this idea.
Three officials noted that the EEAS reform could also be influenced by ongoing discussions regarding the bloc’s next joint budget, where many member states are demanding cost savings and process optimization in Brussels.
Transferring the EEAS’s powers to directorates within the Commission and the Council could save money by reducing staff positions, the officials noted. For example, the drafting of sanctions lists and proposals for military missions could be transferred to the Council, while day-to-day diplomatic activities would be overseen by the Commission.
Two officials noted that ideas for reforming the EU’s foreign service are also being considered in the development of a new security strategy, which the Commission is set to publish this summer.
According to officials, France’s preliminary assessment of possible measures is being discussed at a high level among EU governments and is one of many options for the future of the European External Action Service. Paris has made it clear that all options have their pros and cons.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited remarks made in March by Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, that the EU needs a stronger diplomatic service that “works in close coordination with member states and ensures respect for the specific competences of each institution, particularly in the future European security strategy.”
When asked by the FT about these proposals, a German official replied: “In a changing world, it is clear that we need a stronger EU and a stronger EU foreign policy apparatus. That is why, since the creation of the European External Action Service, we have sought—and continue to seek—to improve our decision-making processes and strengthen our common foreign policy.”