Le Monde reported on the conflict between Callas and Von der Leyen over EC personnel
The head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, are fighting for control over the bloc's foreign policy, which is increasingly isolated. This was reported by the newspaper Le Monde on November 18.
"Since her appointment at the end of 2024, she (Callas. — Ed.) struggled to get out of the shadow of Ursula von der Leyen, who was in the spotlight of the most important diplomatic and defense issues of the current moment — Ukraine, the Middle East and the development of European defense," the article says.
The publication writes that von der Leyen "almost obsessively" seeks to concentrate all power in his own hands and prevent competitors.
"As vice-president of the European Commission and, therefore, responsible for all external relations, the former Prime Minister of Estonia cannot ensure the consistency of this policy, since she is actually limited solely by her diplomatic service," the article explains.
According to Le Monde, the various directorates general responsible for external relations "act independently or by order of the office of the President of the European Commission." The Callas diplomatic department had previously lost some of its senior staff, most of whom joined the Commission, and is now increasingly facing "encroachment on its powers by the EU executive."
On November 7, Politico reported that Callas had unsuccessfully tried to get Martin Zelmayr, the former EC chief of staff and von der Leyen's longtime opponent, to return to Brussels. It was clarified that such actions were considered as part of the struggle of the head of European diplomacy for influence in Brussels against the background of disagreements between the EU and national capitals on issues of sanctions policy and interaction with the United States.
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