“Selmayr did not work out so well the last time he was SG [secretary-general],” a Commission official said, referring to criticisms about his controversial appointment and also how he exerted power.
By bringing Selmayr onto her team, Kallas would get the benefit of a Brussels insider deeply connected to the town’s German conservative power structure. An added benefit for her would be that as a serving EU diplomat, Selmayr would, formally, be loyal to her and the EEAS rather than the Commission — a key advantage over other candidates for the job.
Conservative power structure
Teaming up with Kallas could prove a headache for von der Leyen. The Estonian is known for her outspoken style and headline-grabbing comments that sometimes rub national diplomats, and the Commission, the wrong way.
During a recent interview in New York, Kallas told POLITICO that U.S. President Donald Trump should be doing more to help Ukraine in its war against Russia — a comment that clashed with von der Leyen’s much more cautious language when dealing with the American leader.
In other cases, tensions are less over substance than who gets to take credit for major announcements. When von der Leyen unveiled trade measures and sanctions against Israel during a speech in September, top staff at the EEAS were unaware that the announcement was coming, according to two EU officials, despite the fact that the proposals were based on plans from Kallas’ office.
Known as a hawk on Russia, Kallas irritated some member countries early in her term, which started in December, when she floated a plan to source $20 billion in arms and ammunition to Ukraine without prior consultation with national diplomats. The idea, which had not been vetted by Commission leadership, proved unsuccessful as countries made individual contributions rather than paying into a common EU fund for Ukraine.
A Commission spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Kallas declined to comment. Selmayr declined to comment on “speculation.”
Jacopo Barigazzi and Sarah Wheaton contributed to this report.