The European Commission is drawing up plans to break up the EU diplomatic
service and transfer some functions of the European External Action Service
(EEAS) into Commission departments, the Financial Times reports. Senior
officials are reviewing which EEAS functions could be absorbed by existing
Commission units. The EEAS, led by EU high representative for foreign and
security policy Kallas, is under scrutiny by member states that judge it
inadequate in crisis response. The proposals involve officials from the
Commission secretary-general’s office and its legal and budget departments to
reduce overlap and better align EU foreign work with Commission powers on trade,
aid, digital regulation and technology. The plans are expected to be refined
ahead of next month’s EU leaders summit; France and Germany want to use the
meeting to discuss reform ideas.
