The High Representative is generally considered as the Foreign Minister of the European Union. The position was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997 and shaped by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 to also serve as Vice-President of the European Commission and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Council. Foreign policy and strengthening the role of the European Union in the world have become more and more pivotal ever since, especially in recent years. But could the High Representative lose ground despite this, due to Ursula von der Leyen and the overlapping competence of the brand new Commissioner portfolios?
A challenging period
The latest High Representative, Josep Borrell has been busy all along his mandate as one crisis followed the other between 2019 and 2024. Backed by the European External Action Service, he first had to navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic. NextGenerationEU, which was a critical turning point according to Borell, was set up to help Member States’ damaged economies recover. Then, out of nowhere, came the bombing of Kyiv on the 24th of February 2022. Borrell stated in an interview that he would always remember the day when Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine had started. The war has had so many various repercussions, that it was probably the biggest challenge of Borrell’s mandate. But he stood his ground as he played an instrumental role in the case of both the Strategic Compass – designed to strengthen the European Union’s security and defence policy – and REPowerEU – created to phase out Russian fossil fuel imports by Member States saving energy, diversifying energy supplies and producing clean energy.
Borrell also had to face the Middle East crisis which started on the 7th of October 2023 by the terrorist attacks across Israel committed by Hamas. The European Union has constantly boosted its humanitarian support for Palestinians ever since, while Borrell has advocated for a ceasefire which still has not come. Among all the challenges, the European Union’s strategic partnership with China did not seem to be that high on the shelf, even if the growing gap between them in favour of China has become more and more evident. Borrell addressed that the European Union will have to continue to work with the economically rising China, but promoted de-risking as an instrument to increase the European Union’s resilience.
The latest High Representative definitely had an interesting mandate which did not pass without any criticism. Some of his statements, concerning the Middle East crisis for example, earned him the anger of his colleagues, and him voicing his own opinions instead of the European Union’s as a whole did not go without comments and complaints either. POLITICO even made a humorous collection of how many times he ‘condemned’ something and what he accomplished with it – not to spoil anything, but the result was the same every single time.
A determined person
On the 24th of July 2024, after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had formally agreed to it, the European Council appointed the new High Representative. Estonian Kaja Kallas was born in 1977 and started her career as an Adviser to the Director of the Vanemuine Theatre in 1996. She worked as Attorney at Law at the law firm Tark & Co between 1998 and 2006, then at the law firm Luiga Moody Haal Borenius until 2011. She was also Training Provider at the EBS Management Training Centre between 2010 and 2011. She became a Member of the Estonian Reform party in 2011, and its leader in 2018. She served as a Member of the Estonian Parliament between 2011 and 2014, then again between 2019 and 2021. In between, she was a Member of the European Parliament, representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. She has been Prime Minister of Estonia since 2021.
Kallas managed to step out of her father, Siim Kallas’ shadow when she became Prime Minister and her uncompromising stance on Russia earned her the nickname ‘Europe’s Iron Lady’. Before becoming head of government, some Estonians used to think that she was too nice to lead. Interestingly, the opposite seems to be true now, as some European leaders assume that she might be too tough. But could her strong-willed personality lead to her having similar tensions with von der Leyen as the previous High Representative? Ironically, neither Borrell nor Kallas are said to be the most diplomatic. But as the idiom goes, no castle can have two kings. Or in this case, since von der Leyen’s nickname seems to be more and more widespread, two queens.
A weakening position
Ursula von der Leyen’s mission letter to Kaja Kallas makes it clear that the High Representative’s competence is now overlapped with many other Commissioners’. First of all, when strengthening Europe’s security and defence, she will work with the Commission President herself on Ukraine, and the Commissioner for Defence and Space on the European Defence Union and the EU-NATO relations. In her mission to take a more strategic approach to our neighbourhood and partnerships, the High Representative will handle the relations with candidate countries and the Eastern Neighbourhood with the Commissioner for Enlargement and develop a new Pact for the Mediterranean with the Commissioner for the region – who will seemingly take the lead in that matter. Last, but not least, while ensuring a modern and joined-up foreign policy, she will prepare a new foreign economic policy with the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. The Commissioner for Enlargement and the Commissioner for Mediterranean will work under the guidance of the High Representative, while in her capacity as Vice-President of the Commission, she will be supervised by the Commission President herself. Comparing this to von der Leyen’s mission letter to Josep Borrell, it seems to be even more apparent that the latest High Representative had less limited competence and more autonomy.
Looking at all the other portfolios, Ursula von der Leyen’s power grab is undeniable. But if she really goes ‘from queen to empress’, as POLITICO jokingly suggests, one might wonder how much room that leaves for Kallas to influence processes in her capacity as High Representative. As for now, the odds do not look good for Europe’s Iron Lady.