Head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas, who took office on December 1, dismissed the idea of reducing the EU representation in some countries to save money. She said she has already called on European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen to explain where such discussions originated, POLITICO reports.
During Thursday’s hearing in the European Parliament on the EU’s foreign policy, known as the European External Action Service (EEAS), newly appointed Kaja Kallas told lawmakers it was not her decision to cut staff at EU embassies after POLITICO first reported on the outlook laid out by the EEAS.
The planned cuts come as EEAS faces budgetary constraints and a growing staff of about 8,000 worldwide, as well as continued inflation.
“I don’t know whose plan this is, but it’s not my plan,” said Kallas, who is the top official at EEAS and in charge of its operations.
Kallas said she spoke to her boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and they “tried to, you know, figure out … where this is coming from.”
“The president [has] exchanges with [the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs] and the other members of [the] College all the time,” said the Commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, when asked about the conversation.
Amid a power vacuum caused by weak national governments in Germany and France, von der Leyen has stepped up her oversight of European Union institutions and policy-making while keeping a close eye on her newly appointed team.
According to the document, first reported by POLITICO, the European Commission is considering drastically reducing staff numbers at many of its embassies and instead increasing staffing in countries where the bloc has strategic interests. Some officials fear this could lead to a loss of EU diplomatic clout, particularly in Africa and Latin America.
Despite a small increase in the 2025 budget, the money allocated to the foreign ministry “leaves us with a significant hole and we will have to continue with austerity measures,” Kallas acknowledged, although she shied away from agreeing with the EEAS plan to cut staff. She also added:
“In this geopolitical situation, we need more Europe, not less, not closing the delegations. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, but I’m saying that we need to do the analysis, because there are so many consequences that might come with this.”
During the hearing, Kallas also pleaded with lawmakers not to challenge her to a debate in parliament, as socialists and Democrats have demanded. She said:
“As I’m in [my] fifth day in office, I asked [for] the analysis and … please don’t call me to the plenary to talk about something that I don’t know and [am] not responsible for.”
