Germany and France float plan to bring Kallas under von der Leyen's supervision

Germany and France have floated a joint plan to bring High Representative Kaja Kallas under the direct supervision of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as part of an overhaul of the European Union's foreign policy.The plan is set to be discussed on Wednesday during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland. Kallas will chair the session.The Franco-German project aims to address one of the bloc’s most persistent weaknesses in external action: institutional cacophony.Under the complex design of the Treaty of Lisbon, the High Representative leads the European External Action Service (EEAS) and designs, coordinates and implements foreign policy on behalf of the 27 member states.She simultaneously serves as one of the European Commission's vice-presidents.However, the hefty portfolios that set the pace of international politics, such as trade, energy, climate and migration, largely fall within the Commission's remit, depriving the EEAS of material leverage to bring…