Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas clash over EU foreign policy leadership

A power struggle has emerged within the European Union between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, the head of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The conflict centers on which official should hold primary authority over the EU’s common foreign policy.

Reports indicate that France and Germany have proposed a reform to the EEAS that would transfer significant powers to the Presidency of the European Commission. This move would increase von der Leyen’s influence at the expense of Kallas’s role and the sovereignty of the 27 member states.

In response, the Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has opposed these changes. Rome has circulated an unofficial document, known as a ‘non-paper’, to defend Kallas’s prerogatives and advocate for maintaining the institutional balance established by founding treaties. Italy argues that the EEAS should be strengthened as a coordination center and that the Council should play a more effective role in shaping foreign policy.