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Kallas scraps new high-level European defense group in fresh blow to her leadership
politico.eu • • world
Key Points:
- The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, canceled the launch of a new high-level group of former political and military leaders due to pressure from some EU member states, marking a setback for the former Estonian prime minister.
- The group was intended to address EU defense gaps quickly and effectively, but some diplomats viewed it as a move by Kallas to maintain relevance amid ongoing tensions with the European Commission over control of foreign policy.
- The initiative faced criticism for potentially overlapping with existing Commission activities, particularly those led by Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, and concerns about insufficient coordination with member states.
- The planned group, reportedly to be chaired by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, included notable former defense ministers and representatives from EU and non-EU countries, but the exact membership was never publicly confirmed.
- Conflicting accounts suggest the cancellation was influenced either by broader political disagreements within member states or specific disputes in Italian local politics regarding group membership.
