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Eastern EU Russia Hawks Take Key Defence & Security Roles

EU COMMISSION
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While many of the high-profile economic portfolios within the incoming European Commission have gone to the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) political group, when it comes to portfolios relating to foreign policy, security, or defence the major weighting is not political but geographic.

  • The three notable roles in this policy space - High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, and Commissioner for Defence and Space have each gone to a representative of a country bordering Russia, with Kaja Kallas (Estonia, RE) taking the first portfolio, Henna Virkkunen (Finland, EPP) the second, and Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania, EPP) the third.
  • Given the increased EU focus on the defence sector and developing a united security policy focused on strategic autonomy, giving leadership roles to some of the most vocal Russia hawks in the Union comes as a clear statement of intent.
  • With the potential for the US to significantly wind down its military commitments in Europe in the event of a win for Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November election in appointing these individuals, there is clearly an effort by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to push for greater EU joint action on defence.
  • These appointments stand in some contrast to NATO, which appointed former Dutch PM Mark Rutte over potential nominee Kallas, with the former Estonian PM seen as potentially too provocative towards Russia compared to consensus-builder Rutte.
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While many of the high-profile economic portfolios within the incoming European Commission have gone to the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) political group, when it comes to portfolios relating to foreign policy, security, or defence the major weighting is not political but geographic.

  • The three notable roles in this policy space - High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, and Commissioner for Defence and Space have each gone to a representative of a country bordering Russia, with Kaja Kallas (Estonia, RE) taking the first portfolio, Henna Virkkunen (Finland, EPP) the second, and Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania, EPP) the third.
  • Given the increased EU focus on the defence sector and developing a united security policy focused on strategic autonomy, giving leadership roles to some of the most vocal Russia hawks in the Union comes as a clear statement of intent.
  • With the potential for the US to significantly wind down its military commitments in Europe in the event of a win for Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November election in appointing these individuals, there is clearly an effort by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to push for greater EU joint action on defence.
  • These appointments stand in some contrast to NATO, which appointed former Dutch PM Mark Rutte over potential nominee Kallas, with the former Estonian PM seen as potentially too provocative towards Russia compared to consensus-builder Rutte.