EU defense body failed: Kallas deliberately weakened

EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas has long been a thorn in the side of many heads of state and government in the European Union. She likes to push ahead with her clear stance towards Russian President Vladimir Putin. As an Estonian, she has the interests of the Baltic countries in mind and knows from the history of these states alone what it means to become independent of the Russian aggressor.

Now she wants to advance the EU's defense strategies with a new body that is docked to the European External Action Service - and bring them under greater control. An approach that she apparently did not agree with all EU states.

Discontent was to be expected – and the new defense committee died before it met for the first time. Resistance comes primarily from Germany and Italy, which prefer to see NATO in the role of pulling all the strings together. And anyway, there is the EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, whose job it is to coordinate the Union's armaments projects. But the Lithuanian has so far acted more in the background and only made a name for himself by pushing for a European army. Now Kallas wanted to give herself, her role and her staff more weight in foreign and security policy.

The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.

It is a very bad time to become entangled in upheavals within the EU. The threat situation for EU states with a border with Russia will not weaken in the coming months. Winter is just around the corner in Ukraine, the Russian army is deliberately bombing the energy supply, and Ukrainian President Zelensky is begging for more air defense systems. At the same time, negotiations initiated by the USA are progressing and the Europeans want to play a role at the diplomatic table.

If Kalla's plans disappear into the drawer, it's best to do so quietly and with a clear alternative. Anything else would damage the reputation and mission of the Union.