A plan to set up a group of senior advisers to brainstorm ideas on European defence policy has been abruptly cancelled just days after it was announced by foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Euractiv reports.
Only six days ago, Kallas announced she would assemble the “brightest minds” to drum up fresh ideas on the future of European defence. But the council of elders, set to be launched formally in Brussels on Monday, has been shelved after a last-minute rearguard action by several EU capitals, according to multiple officials and people involved in the process.
“Some member states felt this was not the right path to pursue at this moment. After some discussion with ministers, we have decided not to proceed with the initiative,” an EU official said.
“We are looking at new ways of engaging with member states,” the official added.
France, Italy and Germany are believed to be behind the eleventh-hour cancellation. Euractiv has contacted all three governments for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
Kallas had not revealed the names of the eight people expected to participate. The group would have brought together former political and military officials to offer recommendations on how Europe could quickly produce and procure the weapons it needs.
“The aim is to have some of the brightest minds on security and defence to come together and really provide out-of-the-box solutions,” Kallas told reporters on Tuesday in Ireland, after a meeting of EU defence ministers.
“We have not been fast enough although the threat level is rising,” Kallas said.
