The 27-nation EU's foreign policy has long been hampered by divisions between member states and institutional turf wars between bureaucrats in Brussels.
European Union (EU) flags next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.
European Union foreign ministers on Wednesday launched discussions on reforming the bloc's diplomacy as it seeks to compete on the global stage in an increasingly hostile world.
The 27-nation EU's foreign policy has long been hampered by divisions between member states and institutional turf wars between bureaucrats in Brussels.
Officials say key players France and Germany have floated ideas to overhaul the bloc's diplomatic arm -- potentially merging chunks of it into the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive.
That has spurred fears that foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could see her role squeezed further by commission boss Ursula von der Leyen, who diplomats complain has already centralised too much control.
"These proposals have sparked some controversy, and we will debate them, yet I believe the objective is shared: for the European Union to carry weight and write its own history," said French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
But after the talks between ministers in Ireland, Kallas appeared to pour cold water on the push.
"There is broad support for the current institutional setup, so it should not be changed, but it should be better implemented," she said.
Kallas said there was a fear among smaller EU states that they would lose too much control over foreign policy if the commission was in charge, and took a thinly veiled swipe at von der Leyen.
"If we have had issues where there is somebody above me that is actually deciding -- then you know it doesn't work that way. Let's be very frank," she told reporters.
She said the priority should instead be to streamline the EU's notoriously cumbersome decision-making by looking at how to curb the ability of lone member states to hold up the rest of the bloc.
But the debate over reforming the diplomatic service looks set to drag on as the EU negotiates its next long-term budget and Germany looks to find areas for savings.
The European External Action Service has a budget of around one billion euros ($1.2 billion) a year and employs around 5,000 people in Brussels and at missions around the world.
Those advocating reforms argue that many of its roles are currently duplicated in the commission and that by shifting control it would better help combine EU foreign policy with other areas such as trade and international aid.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani told journalists Germany was planning to organise a meeting of ministers in Berlin to discuss the proposals.
