EU Diplomat Kaja Kallas Cancels High-Level Defense Group Launch After Member State Pressure

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Sunday was forced to cancel the launch of a new high-level group made up of former political and military leaders following pressure from EU member countries, in what could prove another blow to the former Estonian prime minister.

Kallas is leading a fierce behind-the-scenes push against Franco-German plans to overhaul the European External Action Service, the bloc’s diplomatic corps. Those plans on paper aim to reinforce Kallas’ formal role, but her allies fear they could allow the European Commission to take greater control of foreign policy.

The high-level group — which Kallas described as bringing together “the brightest minds” to come up with ideas to fulfill EU defense gaps “in the shortest timeframe possible in the most effective way” — was seen by some diplomats as part of this resistance. “It’s her way to remain relevant,” said a senior EU diplomat, who like others quoted in this story was granted anonymity to speak freely.

Kallas has been in intense competition with the Commission over these plans, but an EU official said the reason for the cancellation was pressure from some capitals.

“Some member states felt this was not the right path to pursue at this moment,” said the official. “After some discussion with ministers, we have decided not to proceed with the initiative, we are looking at new ways of engaging with member states.”

The presentation had been meant to take place in Brussels at the Bibliothèque Solvay on Monday morning, with some 150 people from EU institutions, think tanks, academia and NATO expected to attend.

The names of group members were kept under wraps by Kallas’ office, but three diplomats said the group was expected to be chaired by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and to include former defense ministers, like Estonia’s Jüri Luik, who also served as NATO ambassador, and France’s Florence Parly, a former minister of the armed forces.

Germany was expected to have a representative, as were other countries from outside the EU such as the U.K. and Ukraine, other diplomats said. Rasmussen was then expected to be tasked with writing a report on the outcome of the group’s work.

The EEAS did not confirm any of the names.

The initiative was meant to be part of efforts to relaunch the EEAS, which has a new leadership team including a new secretary general, former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, and a new deputy secretary-general in charge of defense, the former French NATO Ambassador David Cvach.

From the outset, some diplomats have warned there is a high risk the new group could overlap with the work of the Commission and in particular with the activity of Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, who already organizes regular meeting with think tanks and former leaders.

According to some of the diplomats, one of the key reasons behind the decision to cancel the initiative was the lack of proper groundwork and coordination in some capitals.

But a second EU official disputed this account, saying what triggered the cancellation was a problem in Italian local politics and in particular a dispute over potential members of the group.