Former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren Named Head of EU Diplomatic Service

Kajsa Ollongren, a former Dutch defense minister, has been appointed to lead the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union's diplomatic corps, based in Brussels. Ollongren takes the helm of the EU's foreign affairs apparatus at a time of significant pressure for major institutional reform within the service. The EEAS, established in 2010, coordinates the EU's foreign policy and diplomatic relations across the globe, functioning similarly to a foreign ministry for the bloc. Her appointment comes as the organization faces calls to modernize and strengthen its role amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and shifting transatlantic relations.