EU countries mull gutting bloc's diplomatic service -- report

France and Germany are discussing proposals for an overhaul of the EU’s 15-year-old diplomatic service to improve the bloc’s response to geopolitical crises, the Financial Times reports.

Paris, Berlin, and other capitals are considering options that include stripping powers from the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, and her 1 billion euros-a-year ($1.15 billion) External Action Service (EEAS) and returning them to the European Commission and member states, the FT reports, citing five senior officials briefed on the discussions.