Kaja Kallas forced to cancel the launch of a high-level European defense group after pressure from some EU member states

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas canceled on Sunday the launch of a high-level group made up of former political and military leaders, following pressure from several member states. The initiative was due to be presented on Monday in Brussels, but some capitals considered that the time was not right to create the group.

The group, described by Kallas as a gathering of “the brightest minds,” was supposed to quickly formulate proposals to address the EU’s defense gaps. The event was expected to bring together approximately 150 representatives of European institutions, NATO, academia, and think tanks.

According to diplomats, the group would have been chaired by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and would have included former defense ministers, among them Estonia’s Jüri Luik and France’s Florence Parly. Representatives of Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine were also expected to participate.

The cancellation comes amid disputes over the reform of the European External Action Service. Kallas opposes the Franco-German plans, which her allies fear could allow the European Commission to assume greater control over foreign policy. Diplomats also warned that the new group could overlap with the work of European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius. The exact reasons for the decision remain disputed, with both a lack of coordination and disagreements over the group’s members and Italy’s domestic politics cited.