EU High Representative Kaja Kallas is expected to discuss her role with French Foreign Minister after news broke out by the Financial Times that the French government is seeking to reduce the powers of the office of the European High Representative. The High Representative visited Paris for the Two-State Conference solution for Israel and Palestine hosted by France.
Euro News has quoted the High Representative as saying that her role is inscribed in the treaties of the European Union.
Vice-President Kaja Kallas has elevated her office to unprecedented standards and new heights by increasing engagement with global partners, seeking new partnerships, and whipping EU member states into unified pro-European positions, especially in relation to external and security threats. The top European diplomat has undoubtedly ruffled feathers in Paris, where officials are growing increasingly jealous and insecure over the rising influence of the EU’s diplomatic service.
France is the EU member-state with the largest and most active foreign diplomatic service, with 163 embassies, 16 permanent representations, 113 consular sections and 92 consulates general. France has always presented itself as a global power, but the growing influence of the EU’s diplomatic service is increasingly challenging Paris’s traditional role as Europe’s main global spokesperson. With more than 140 EU delegations around the world, the European External Action Service is becoming harder for France to ignore, especially as Brussels seeks a more unified European foreign policy.
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