European Union (EU) leaders will clash over the future of Kaja Kallas and the diplomatic service she heads, the European External Action Service (EEAS), at a summit before the end of the year, a document obtained by Euractiv has revealed, Euractiv reports.

The contentious institutional debate will be thrust to the top of the political agenda, after Germany and France pushed for an overhaul of the EEAS, and for it to be discussed by the end of 2026.

In a paper obtained by Euractiv, Paris and Berlin sketched out their vision to largely fold the 5,000-strong EEAS, of which one in three are seconded national diplomats, into the European Commission.

The confidential diplomatic proposal argued that this is necessary to allow “stronger, swifter and more coordinated” EU foreign policy.

The joint initiative, dated August and circulated ahead of last week’s meeting of foreign ministers, was first prepared by Germany and then updated after receiving input from France.

The joint paper says that part of the inner sanctum of the European Commission—the foreign policy units in its secretariat-general—should become subject to the same national staffing quota that already affects the EEAS, whereby at least a third of the staff should come from national foreign services.

That would significantly increase the amount of control that national governments can exert on EU foreign policymaking and open up the Commission’s engine room to national diplomats, a French demand, Euractiv adds.