Kallas Responds to EEAS–Gate with New Whistleblower Policy and Open Questions
The EU’s top foreign affairs official, Kaja Kallas, introduced a new whistleblower policy on Thursday as part of her initial internal response to a widening fraud scandal touching her office and several senior officials, according to multiple attendees cited by Euractiv.
During a town hall gathering for staff of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Kallas acknowledged the impact of the fraud probe surrounding her predecessor, Federica Mogherini, and the former EEAS secretary-general, Stefano Sannino. The probe has raised serious questions about confidential information sharing linked to an EU-funded contract with the College of Europe, a post Mogherini took up after leaving the EEAS. In early December, searches were conducted at their residences and at the EEAS offices in Brussels.
EEAS Secretary-General Belén Martínez Carbonell admitted that there were shortcomings and committed that the service would be better prepared in the future, according to one participant quoted by Euractiv.
Kallas’ remarks were brief—about 30 minutes—and she fielded only three questions before joining a simultaneous videoconference with other leaders who had gathered in support of a broader coalition, according to three attendees.
She pledged full transparency amid the fraud investigation and emphasized the EU’s commitment to due process. Staff members later reported that Kallas wrote to colleagues promising cooperation with authorities and a respect for the presumption of innocence as the inquiry expands.
A staff union leader described the session as somewhat anticlimactic, noting that several important points likely would not have been raised were it not for employee persistence. Yet others highlighted that attendees’ questions centered on the credibility and reputational damage facing the service.
In response to a staff member’s question, Kallas announced that the EEAS will implement a new whistleblower policy as part of ongoing reforms. She indicated that the service is actively considering additional measures and that concrete proposals will be put forward.
Kallas also confirmed plans to host another internal briefing before the summer and reiterated the intention to cooperate fully with investigators while underscoring the presumption of innocence.
Sofia Sánchez Manzanaro and Elisa Braun contributed to this rewrite.
