Kallas cancels EU defense advisory group after member-state outcry

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has canceled a proposal to create a high-level defense advisory body after encountering fierce resistance from member states, scrapping the initiative just days before its scheduled launch in Brussels, according to Euronews. The Estonian diplomat unveiled the proposal last week during an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Ireland, saying it would assemble prominent political and military figures to develop new approaches to Europe’s defense needs. "The aim is to have some of the brightest minds on security and defence come together and really provide out-of-the-box solutions on how we can be faster in fulfilling these gaps and how we can be more effective," she said.

Advisory role and remaining gaps

Invitees to the group’s planned launch event on Monday were informed Sunday afternoon that it had been canceled, Euronews reported. The body was intended to function solely as an advisory body without authority to make decisions on behalf of EU member states. "The diagnosis has not changed that Europe needs to deliver faster on defence," an unnamed EU official told the outlet. "Europe still needs to confront the question the group was designed to address, how to strengthen European defence faster," the official added.

Institutional rivalry

The reversal comes as the European External Action Service (EEAS), which Kallas heads, faces growing institutional pressure from the European Commission. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has sought a greater role for the commission in shaping the bloc’s foreign policy, with the two officials reportedly at odds over several major issues, including relations with Israel. A recent proposal from Paris and Berlin would place the EEAS under the commission president’s direct supervision while granting the EU high representative a broader portfolio, according to the report.