EU foreign policy chief drops defense advisory group after member-state pushback

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has scrapped plans to establish a high-level defense advisory group following strong opposition from member states, according to Euronews on Sunday.

Kallas unveiled the initiative last week during an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Ireland, saying it would bring together prominent political and military figures to help develop new approaches to Europe’s defense needs.

“The aim is to have some of the brightest minds on security and defence come together and really provide out-of-the-box solutions on how we can be faster in fulfilling these gaps and how we can be more effective,” she said.

However, invitees to the group’s planned launch event in Brussels on Monday were informed Sunday afternoon that it had been canceled, Euronews reported.

The group was intended to serve only in an advisory capacity and would not have been authorized to make decisions on behalf of EU member states.

“The diagnosis has not changed that Europe needs to deliver faster on defence,” an unnamed EU official told Euronews.

“Europe still needs to confront the question the group was designed to address, how to strengthen European defence faster,” the official added.

The reversal comes as the European External Action Service (EEAS), which Kallas heads, faces growing institutional pressure.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has sought a greater role for the Commission in shaping the bloc’s foreign policy, with the two officials reportedly differing over several major issues, including relations with Israel.

A recent Franco-German proposal would place the EEAS under the Commission President’s direct supervision while granting the EU high representative a broader portfolio.