Kaja Kallas canceled the creation of the EU defense group after pressure from member states. Diplomats feared duplication of the European Commission's work.
On Sunday, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was forced by pressure from EU member states to cancel the creation of a new high-level defense group that would have included former political and military leaders. Politico reports, UNN writes.
It is noted that the high-level group, which Kallas described as a gathering of the "brightest minds" to develop ideas for closing gaps in EU defense "in the shortest possible time and in the most effective manner," was viewed by some diplomats as part of the resistance to reforming the EU’s foreign policy service. Kallas is engaged in a fierce battle with the European Commission over these plans, but according to one EU official, pressure from some capitals led to the initiative’s cancellation.
The presentation was due to take place in Brussels on Monday morning. Around 150 people from EU institutions, think tanks, academia and NATO were expected to attend.
Kallas’s office kept the names of the group’s members secret, but according to three diplomats, it was expected to be headed by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, with former defense ministers also joining.
