How Kallas' plans to shake up foreign policy talks The EU's new top diplomat is expected to present proposals to her counterparts that could breathe life into the bloc's often stale foreign policy talks. EU member states have long complained that the bloc's foreign ministerial meetings tend to be rather tedious, with ministers often reading out polished, prescribed statements instead of freely discussing matters at hand. "It has become too much of a talk shop, and often, after a session, we end up without getting to the real substance that needs to be discussed," one EU diplomat quipped. Many EU member states, with which EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas has held bilaterals over the past weeks, have expressed hope that with the bloc's new leadership, things will change. They want foreign policy-making to become more "dynamic' and "action-oriented," several EU diplomats confirmed. When EU foreign ministers meet with Kallas for their first formal EU27 setting on Monday (16 December), she is expected to present a proposal over an informal breakfast, pitching new ways to manage tools, budgets, and working styles. According to the plans, the idea is for her to start and frame the discussion on agenda items and then have foreign ministers make only short interventions on the topic of the decision to allow for a dynamic debate. In a departure from the norm, some of those sessions would be increasingly held in a ministers-only format rather than having ambassadors, aides, or advisers sitting in to allow for more unrestrained discussions. EU diplomats, however, are conscious that freer and more targeted discussions could mean more visible dissent. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, foreign ministers' talks have often become heated at times, especially over Hunagry's blockage of a number of Ukraine aid decisions. The advantage is that Kallas is no stranger to confrontational discussions, having sat at EU summit tables and not minced words in debates with her counterparts, including Hunagry's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Meanwhile, on more security-focused topics, Kallas could also increasingly request the EU diplomatic services' Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity to brief foreign ministers on the threat picture, also in a restricted format, according to people familiar with the matter. Under this revamp, the outcomes of the foreign ministers' talks would then be taken to inform EU leaders, who usually meet a few days later. Kallas' task mirrors that of European Council President Antonio Costa, who has vowed to reform an ailing institutional set-up, and change the style and working methods of EU leaders' talks. His first trial will come a few days after Kallas, with whether a one-day meeting will stand the test under the abundance of agenda items for the EU summit. After feedback from EU member states, Costa, too, has planned for more strategic discussions between leaders at 'retreats' dedicated to a specific topic in the future. The first one is due to take place in February, on European defence. The road to institutional reform has always been paved with good intentions but often faded out during the term. This week will show whether things might be different this time around. | 