It happened in a few hours and left everyone shocked and even outraged. Secretary General of the EEAS, the European Union's external action service with over 4 diplomats working in Brussels and in 140 delegations around the world, has been removed for no apparent reason at the beginning of December by the new High Representative for European Foreign and Defence Policy, Kaja Kallas, former Prime Minister of Estonia.
It is Stephen Sannino, an Italian ambassador of rank who will turn 24 on December 65 and since 2021 has led the delicate organizational machine of diplomacy European Union under the political direction of the High Representative, the Spaniard Josep Borrell. During his service over two years ago Sannino had to manage the European response to theRussian invasion in Ukraine and a year ago the consequences of theHamas October 7 attack on Israel which was followed by a crisis that hit Iran, Lebanon and now Syria.
Governments outraged, Sannino gets ad hoc seat in commission
The torpedoing of Sannino has unleashed the indignation of European governments (and not only) and numerous officials for the way it happened. However, President Ursula von der Leyen thought about mending the rift by creating a ad hoc seat in the Commission for Sannino who will lead the Mediterranean politics under the guidance of Croatian Commissioner Dubravka Suika. Sannino from Campania knows the problems of the area well for all the implications of the migration crisis and political instability in the Middle East. It is not excluded that Suica and Sannino can therefore implement foreign policies of the Southern front autonomous from those that Kallas will carry forward, completely focused on the Eastern front and on the responses towards Russia.
Who is Stefano Sannino?
Sannino was born as Italian diplomat at the end of the 80s as a close collaborator of a great Europeanist like Renato Ruggiero to then continue in numerous Italian and European roles as diplomatic advisor to Romano Prodi in Brussels and of Enrico Letta at Palazzo Chigi. In 2016, as Italy's representative to the EU, Prime Minister Renzi considered him too tied to European institutions and sent him to Madrid as ambassador, replacing him with a non-diplomat like Carlo Calenda who lasted only a few months before throwing in the towel and resigning from the post.
The fact remains that some member states were quite irritated by this decision. One EU diplomat commented to Politico: “You don’t let the pilot off the ship when a new crew has to navigate stormy waters.”
Who will replace Sannino?
The name of Sannino's replacement is still missing. The position was advertised with a closing date for applications of December 16. Among the names circulating in Brussels in recent weeks is that of the French ambassador Philippe Leglise-Costa and the Secretary General of the European Commission Ilze Juhansone, former Latvian ambassador and currently senior EU official at the Commission, close ally of President Ursula von der Leyen and her chief of staff Bjoern Seibert.
If Juhansone were to win the top post at the EEAS, it could be seen as an attempt by von der Leyen to increase her power over the European diplomatic service as well. But it would also mean that, alongside Kallas, a second person from a Baltic country would play a key role in EU foreign policy. In short, there would be Kallas' foreign policy focused entirely on the Baltics, Suica and Sannino's for the Mediterranean, and von Der Leyen “with variable geometries”.
Le tensions between the Commission and the EEAS have already emerged on organizational aspects. The Commission is pushing for plans to drastically reduce the number of people working in many of the embassies to strengthen staff in countries where it believes the bloc has a strategic interest. The staff reduction initiative comes as the EEAS has exceeded its budget forecasts for 2024 and also reflects the Commission's desire to strengthen the Global Gateway Project as a response to China's Belt and Road initiative, at the expense of more traditional diplomacy.
On Thursday, in a hearing at the European Parliament, Kallas said that the plan to cut embassy staff was not his decision, but that she had discussed it with von der Leyen. “I don’t know whose plan it is, but it’s not mine,” said Kallas, who sat next to Sannino during the hearing.
When asked about finances at the EEAS she said: “When I was prime minister, I had to sort out the mess of… previous prime ministers, regarding the budget, I had to answer questions about the budget that I had nothing to do with.”
