European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is facing another political opponent, with French far-right leader Marine Le Pen calling for a drastic reduction of the bloc’s diplomatic service if her political camp comes to power following France’s 2027 presidential election.
According to sources from the National Rally (RN) cited by Politico, Le Pen wants to dismantle or significantly scale back the European External Action Service (EEAS), arguing that it duplicates the diplomatic work of EU member states and wastes taxpayers’ money.
“The reality is that Kallas’s usefulness is very limited and she duplicates the diplomacy of member states,” said Charles-Henri Gallois, an adviser to RN President Jordan Bardella. He added that neither the United States nor China recognises her legitimacy.
The remarks highlight growing tensions over the distribution of power between Brussels and national governments, as nationalist parties in France, Germany and Poland increasingly seek to reclaim authority from EU institutions. Foreign policy has emerged as one of their main targets.
The criticism also puts additional pressure on Kallas and the EEAS, which has been involved in a prolonged struggle over foreign policy responsibilities with the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen.
Within the National Rally, the view is that the EU’s diplomatic service is not only an unnecessary expense for European taxpayers but also an obstacle preventing individual European countries from exercising greater influence on the international stage.
Ukraine is one of the clearest examples of the differences between Kallas and Le Pen, although the two have not publicly clashed over the issue.
Former Estonian Prime Minister Kallas is among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strongest critics and a firm supporter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Le Pen, meanwhile, has called for an international peace conference to resolve the conflict and argued that Europe no longer has the financial resources to continue providing assistance to Kyiv.
Le Pen has directed some of her strongest criticism at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom the far right has repeatedly accused of exceeding her institutional powers. However, Kallas and the EEAS could also become targets of a potential far-right administration in France.
Le Pen remains a leading contender ahead of the 2027 presidential election. During a recent visit to Brussels, she pledged to significantly reduce the powers and scope of the European Union if she comes to power.
