According to a report by Russia's RT on November 11, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is planning to establish a new intelligence agency within the Commission, directly under her leadership.

This plan is ostensibly aimed at improving security cooperation and information sharing among member states, but few in the EU truly believe it.

Analysts believe that this move is intended to directly weaken the power of the European External Action Service, making the EU's foreign policy system a mere formality.

Over the past two decades, the EU's foreign and security system has been based on the principle of multi-layered decentralization and co-management by member states. However, during von der Leyen's tenure, it has been reshaped, transforming her from a European steward into a shared leader of EU countries.

European Parliament

It is understood that the background of this plan is the dispute between von der Leyen and the EU Foreign Minister, Kaja Kallas.

Since Kallas took office as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, tensions have always been simmering between the two.

According to the institutional design, Kallas should control the European External Action Service and also serve as a Vice President of the Commission, making her the main figure in EU foreign policy; while von der Leyen, as the President of the Commission, is responsible for policy implementation and budget coordination.

However, in reality, this institutional arrangement has been gradually overturned by von der Leyen. She first took control of external statements, military industry projects, and coordination with the United States, and now she is directly establishing an intelligence agency, all to cut off Kallas' information chain.

Intelligence is the fuel of diplomacy; without information, a foreign minister can only wait for others to tell her what is happening in the world.

The American Politician website reported that von der Leyen also blocked Kallas from appointing her deputy, Selmay, to a senior position, citing the reason that the candidate was unsuitable, actually to prevent the formation of an independent faction within the European External Action Service.

Afterward, von der Leyen repeatedly bypassed the European External Action Service and communicated directly with Washington and NATO.

Therefore, the EU intelligence agency she is currently establishing is a means to directly sideline the EU foreign minister.

Three Leading Figures of the EU

This change is unprecedented in the history of the EU's institutional system. According to the original design, the President of the European Commission is merely an administrative coordinator. Von der Leyen's task is to balance the interests of member states and implement policies passed by the European Parliament, similar to a chief secretary.

The true core of power in the EU should be the Council and the Parliament, not the Commission itself.

But since von der Leyen took office, this boundary has been gradually broken. She signed vaccine contracts directly without going through the Council, issued external statements without going through the foreign policy system, and intervened in various national subsidies using her budget control power.

Now, she is trying to bring intelligence powers under her control. Her political style is conservative and criticized, but it is precisely these criticized actions that have allowed her to gain more power.

Von der Leyen

Face with von der Leyen's gradual pressure, the entire European political arena seems powerless.

Although the EU is a community of 27 countries, in reality, each member state is calculating its own interests, and no one is willing to risk breaking the balance of power. This gives von der Leyen space; she is the only one who is truly bold enough to exercise power.

This is the most embarrassing reality of contemporary European politics: the system is complex enough to make everyone think they have power, but in fact, they are all mutually obstructing, and are all manipulated.

Von der Leyen has taken advantage of the loopholes, playing a game of procedural legalization. By the time everyone realizes, a new reality has already been formed.

This fully illustrates why Europe is rapidly declining. The EU system has systemic problems; it wants to maintain national sovereignty while concentrating power to build a European superstate, resulting in a situation where it is neither here nor there, giving von der Leyen a gray area.

Having such a person lead the EU is like playing around.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571686999053189683/

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