Kallas is being "finished off" in the EU - The European diplomacy experiment is being "demolished"

Intense processes are taking place... behind the scenes in the European Union, with the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, facing unprecedented questioning as European capitals openly discuss "trimming" her powers or even completely dissolving her service. A classified thriller revealed by the Financial Times brings to light the deep dissatisfaction of member states with the European External Action Service (EEAS). The cumbersome diplomatic mechanism, born in 2010 as Europe's great supranational "experiment," is now accused of bureaucracy and proverbial slowness in the face of critical fronts, such as the war in Ukraine and Russia. Against the backdrop of a recent corruption scandal that shook the institution's credibility, EU leaders now seem determined to take the helm of European diplomacy out of Kallas' hands and "demolish" the edifice to rebuild it from scratch.

In an existential crisis

The European Union's diplomatic corps, an extensive mechanism with more than 140 delegations worldwide, is facing an existential crisis. According to information from the Financial Times, EU member states are actively discussing whether to dissolve or radically restructure the European External Action Service (EEAS), the bloc's foreign policy arm, which has operated as an independent institution since 2010. The discussions reflect the growing dissatisfaction of national capitals regarding the EEAS's ability to coordinate coherent responses to the geopolitical crises that have defined the last few years.

What is really on the table

The proposals being considered range from surgical interventions to complete dissolution. At the most dramatic end, some member states are pushing for the full reintegration of EEAS functions into the European Commission, effectively reversing the institutional experiment that originally led to its creation. Another proposal on the table involves the creation of a special "EU Foreign Minister" position. The bloc already has a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (which is currently the top diplomatic position), but the discussion focuses on whether a position with greater powers and clearer jurisdiction could overcome the coordination problems plaguing European foreign policy. On the structural side, there is talk of merging the EEAS's global network of regional delegations into about 18 hubs, from the current network of over 140 offices. The plans also include a moderate reduction in staff, with about 100 jobs scheduled to be cut by 2027.

Why now?

Because, firstly, Europe's security environment has changed dramatically after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, and the EEAS is struggling to keep up with the urgency that member states feel regarding the coordination of defense and foreign policy. Secondly, a corruption scandal involving the leadership of the EEAS, which came to light in late 2025, damaged the service's credibility just when it needed institutional supporters.

The behind-the-scenes

Informal high-level negotiations between EU diplomats have been ongoing since at least April 2026, according to reports on the discussions. A procedural change being considered is the upgrading of foreign policy discussions within the framework of Coreper meetings (the Committee of Permanent Representatives of member states to the EU), which acts as the "engine" for Council decision-making.

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