EU diplomatic service may be subject to large-scale staff reductions n

European officials believe that the European External Action Service (EEAS) could seriously cut staff: in the next two years, the structure risks turning into a “skeleton”, retaining only basic functionality. It's from sb.by.

According to RIA Novosti, this is not about eliminating the service — it will still be responsible for a network of 145 EU offices around the world, although it is not yet clear how much staff will remain in each of them.

As explained by the representative of the European Commission, most of the staff of the central office of the EEAS plan to redeploy to other departments of the Commission. Among the key reasons for the reform is pressure from Germany and a number of other EU countries to reduce administrative costs.

No less significant factor experts call the growing competition for control over the foreign policy of the EU between the head of diplomacy of the Union Kaja Kallas and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Although Kallas formally leads the EEAS and coordinates the EU’s common foreign policy, key levers of influence – in the areas of trade, energy, humanitarian aid, the defence industry and enlargement – remain in the hands of the European Commission. In recent years, Ursula von der Leyen has significantly strengthened her role in shaping the external agenda. Earlier, Germany and France launched a reorganization initiative designed to link Kallas’ work even more closely with structures controlled by the European Commission. Baltic defense ministers write secret letter to von der Leyen