EU names ex-Dutch defence minister as EEAS secretary-general
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Former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren has been appointed secretary general of the European External Action Service, the EU’s foreign policy wing.
The move, announced in an email to staff on Wednesday afternoon and then made public, reflects the growing importance of defense-related matters in Brussels. It also puts an end to weeks of speculation after predecessor Belén Martínez Carbonell was moved to lead the EU’s delegation in Mexico after two years in the post, as first reported by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.
The EEAS has been in turmoil since October when the team of top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas sought to cut Carbonell’s key responsibilities, including managing relations with member country ambassadors, and instead hand them to a deputy.
Kallas’ team initially planned to appoint controversial German bureaucrat Martin Selmayr to the role, only for opposition from capitals and the European Commission to sink the bid. Kallas then temporarily handed the position to fellow Estonian diplomat Matti Maasikas, who is now confirmed to serve as EEAS deputy secretary general.
Another key appointment confirmed by the diplomatic service today is that of David Cvach, the current French ambassador to NATO, who will take on the role of deputy secretary general in charge of defense, as first reported in Morning Defense. Cvach’s new role means France will keep control of a key position overseeing the EU’s defense setting, as he will replace French diplomat Charles Fries.
The appointments of Ollongren and Maasikas will be effective Sept. 1.
While some officials disputed how vital Ollongren’s role can be given that she won’t be attending the regular meetings of EU ambassadors — a key function that will remain with Maasikas — an EU official granted anonymity to speak freely defended the package of appointments: “The key priority for this mandate is defending Europe, defending Ukraine, we have to deliver on that, and for that, to bring in the people who have the best knowledge and the best experiences on that is very important.”
“It is also deliberate that there are people who will make our cooperation with NATO even stronger because at the time that we are working on building this European defense, it has to be done hand in hand with NATO,” the official added.
The EEAS will need to fill another key position in the coming months, as Kristin de Peyron, the agency’s head of human resources, has publicly announced her early retirement starting Oct. 1.
