Kallas denies plans to reduce EU diplomatic presence and promises to work to not close embassies

BRUSSELS, 5 ()

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, has denied this Thursday plans to reduce diplomatic staff in some EU embassies and concentrate activity in some regional ‘hubs’, ensuring that she will work not to close embassies, despite to the budgetary difficulties of the EU External Action Service, which will have 34 million euros less for its operation by 2025.

“It’s not my plan, I don’t know who it is, but it’s not my plan. I can say that I also spoke with the president of the Commission about this and we tried to investigate what it is and where it comes from,” he stated in his speech at the Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament on the EEAS’s alleged plans to redesign embassies and cut diplomatic presence in some countries, a matter which he said he learned about from the press.

Kallas, who began her mandate as head of European diplomacy this week, has distanced herself from these plans and has made it clear that the EEAS “cannot function like this”, giving as an example that European diplomacy cannot operate in Brazil with a headquarters only in Argentina. “In this geopolitical situation we need more Europe, not less, not to close the delegations,” he stressed.

In her speech before the European Parliament, the former Estonian Prime Minister committed to safeguarding the network of European missions abroad, in such a way that no delegation closes and no European ambassador leaves his post, leaving no country or continent without a presence.

“I cannot begin my mandate by closing delegations, in this world and with the geopolitical situation we need more European presence and not less,” said the new head of European diplomacy, who began her mandate this week and who has been criticized by parliamentary groups. its plans to cut its diplomatic presence.

The former Baltic leader has insisted that the EU is in full conflict with China and Russia, which are extending their influence in regions such as Africa or Latin America, which is why it has to maintain its diplomatic presence around the world despite the budgetary difficulties that it faces. faces the EEAS.

Thus, he stated that the European diplomatic corps is being hit by growing spending on housing and salaries due to high inflation in third countries, which has had an impact, for example, on not being able to carry out electoral missions.

The budget cuts have resulted in some European delegations not fully complying with security standards, something that Baltic politics has warned puts European diplomatic staff at risk and has pledged to remedy.