Lisbon Treaty
Coverage of Lisbon Treaty in the Nexus archive.
- ‘Houston, we have a problem’: Was the EEAS set up to fail?
The European External Action Service (EEAS) faces internal tensions, declining morale, and criticism over its effectiveness, with conflicts between its leader Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EEAS's structural challenges stem from its founding as a compromise, granting it broad expectations but limited authority amid competing EU institutions and national interests.
- Kallas defends EU’s foreign service after French paper questions its survival
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, defends the European External Action Service (EEAS) against proposals from a French government discussion paper suggesting its reorganization or dissolution. The paper outlines three reform options, including placing the EEAS under the European Commission or shifting its functions to the Council of the EU, but it is not an official French position. Kallas emphasizes the EEAS’s 'added value' amid geopolitical challenges and reaffirms its role as defined by EU treaties.