Who is Borrell’s successor?
Who is Borrell’s successor? Josep Borrell, the Spanish official in charge of European foreign policy, will be replaced in less than three months by Kaja Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia. What do we know about Ms. Kallas’s individual views on Iran, Israel, Russia, and China?
Kallas is 47 years old and a liberal politician, whereas Mr. Borrell was a seasoned socialist aged 77. Based on this, at first glance, many analysts believe that the European Union’s foreign policy will be pursued with more agility from the beginning of December 2024. However, that’s not the whole story.
Kallas, who became Estonia’s first female Prime Minister in 2021, was one of the first EU leaders to sound the alarm about the expansionist plans of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She repeatedly warned European leaders, especially those in the East, about getting trapped in the lure of good trade relations with Russia.
Therefore, a group of experts believes that Ms. Kallas is a suitable choice to lead the EU’s foreign policy, especially during a period when the Union’s focus will be on strengthening defense capabilities against Russia. Thus, it seems that Kallas’s main priority as the EU’s senior diplomat will be ensuring Europeans are prepared to prevent future Russian advances.
She is the proposer of the EU’s loan proposal to member countries to strengthen their defense capabilities, a plan that, despite gaining France’s support for finalization, faces opposition from Germany. Of course, Kallas will also face other major challenges in the EU’s foreign policy domain, such as pursuing the EU’s new approach towards China and enhancing the EU’s mediating role in addressing the Iran challenge and the Middle East crisis centered around Israel.
The former Prime Minister of Estonia does not have a special angle regarding the EU’s recent approach to Iran. She has repeatedly criticized Iran for supporting Russia during the invasion of Ukraine and has supported sanctions against it. Although Kallas personally supports the two-state solution for the current crisis in Palestinian territories, she is considered a staunch supporter of Israel. She criticized Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Israeli soil and expressed satisfaction with Western countries’ military support to intercept missiles and drones launched towards Israel.
She has consistently followed the EU’s policy of staunchly supporting Israel’s right to self-defense while also calling for respect for international humanitarian law in Gaza. Kallas has always condemned the attacks by the terrorist group Hamas. She also stands with those EU leaders who are discontent with China for siding with Russia and supports the Union’s plan to establish a new balance in political and economic relations with China.
As a feminist politician, the former Prime Minister of Estonia has repeatedly spoken about the need for Iranian and Afghan women and girls to enjoy fundamental freedoms and has called for intensified international efforts in this regard. Kallas is under pressure from her critics, who argue that outside her extensive experience in political relations with Eastern European countries, she lacks the necessary capability to create the required engagement in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
They believe that Josep Borrell, especially on the issue of Israel and the Palestinians, played a very active role based on a personal belief and was trying to increase pressure on Israel. In his latest efforts, he also announced the EU’s willingness to regain control of the Gaza and Egypt border.
Borrell, based on his socialist approach, believed in establishing a serious balance between the mutual demands of the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran and resisted, as much as possible, the efforts of European hardliners against Iran.
Owen Injner, a socialist member of the European Parliament, told Euronews that since Kallas has not been much involved in these issues, he is somewhat concerned that the Gaza war will not be at the top of her agenda. However, Mika Aaltola, a centrist member of the European Parliament, reminded Euronews that under Kallas’s leadership, Estonia has always taken a pragmatic approach to issues in the Gaza Strip.
While some praise Borrell’s efforts to create a balance between the conflicting positions of EU member states in various disputes, others believe that during Josep Borrell’s tenure, the EU’s credibility, especially in the Middle East, was tarnished.
In such conditions, Kallas is expected, in addition to overcoming the existing divide among EU member states on issues such as military support for Ukraine and the solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, to be able to strengthen the EU’s position in resolving international disputes as a global power, better than during Josep Borrell’s five-year term.
