Some of Europe’s brightest military minds were meant to gather in Brussels on Monday. Instead, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, had to call the meeting off before it ever began, after key member states balked at her plan.
“Some member states felt this was not the right path to pursue at this moment,” Christian Wigand, a European Commission spokesperson, said during Monday’s press briefing. Ms Kallas decided not to proceed after discussions with ministers. She is now considering other ways to engage with member states.
Ms Kallas announced the group at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Ireland last week. It would have included senior political and military figures from EU countries, the UK and Ukraine. Their task was to propose ways of closing gaps in Europe’s defence capabilities.
She said the group would gather “some of the brightest minds” and produce concrete recommendations for governments and European institutions. The proposal, unveiled last week, would have operated under her authority while drawing on expertise from outside the EU institutions.
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Several larger member states reportedly opposed the plan. Concerns included insufficient consultation with national governments and possible duplication of existing EU defence work. The Commission did not identify the countries involved or explain their individual objections. “Those member states are best placed to answer why they were not supportive,” its spokesperson said when questioned about the decision.
Some member states felt this was not the right path to pursue at this moment.
— Christian Wigand, European Commission spokesperson
The cancellation does not change the assessment behind the proposal, according to the Commission. “Europe needs to deliver faster on defence,” Mr Wigand said, adding that Ms Kallas would pursue other forms of engagement with national governments.
The group’s collapse before its first meeting leaves its original question unanswered: how Europe can close its defence gaps more quickly. Ms Kallas must now find an approach that can secure the support of the governments responsible for putting any recommendations into practice.
