According to major media reports, Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas want changes in the union's foreign policy. Von der Leyen calls for a more assertive and interest-driven foreign policy. ' The message from both was clear: the EU must adapt to a more conflict-ridden world where international norms and rules no longer provide the protection the union previously could count on.
' She questioned whether EU institutions and decision-making are equipped for today's world, pointing to the system of consensus and compromises as potentially more of a hindrance than a help to the union's credibility as a geopolitical actor. As an example, she mentioned the difficulties—after Hungary's blocking—in getting the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine approved despite all 27 heads of state and government having approved it. Von der Leyen presented a foreign policy in three parts where security and defense come first.
She stated that security should permeate all policy areas and become the fundamental principle for EU action. Kaja Kallas linked today's two major crises—the war in the Middle East and Russia's invasion of Ukraine—and argued that both have their basis in the undermining of international law. The specific changes to EU foreign policy beyond the general call for assertiveness have not been detailed.
How the EU will implement the principle of security permeating all policy areas in practice remains unclear.