European governments are irritated over what they see as Ursula von der Leyen’s move to position herself as the EU’s chief representative abroad, saying that during the opening days of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran she went beyond her mandate, writes POLITICO.

"In conversations with POLITICO, nine diplomats, EU officials and lawmakers, hailing from small and large European countries, criticized what they described as the European Commission president`s diplomatic overreach. Disapproval of her handling of the Iran crisis comes on top of carping about other foreign policy issues, including the Commission`s efforts to speed up Ukraine`s entry into the EU and von der Leyen`s approach to Donald Trump`s "Board of Peace."

With the Middle East conflict entering its second week, the EU has struggled to speak with a common voice. Several governments are irked that von der Leyen seems to be playing the role the EU`s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas - meant to represent the 27 capitals - should normally do. In the 1st days of the crisis, von der Leyen signaled support for regime change in Tehran and held no fewer than a dozen calls with EU and Gulf state leaders. She`s repeatedly staked out public positions that go well beyond the consensus between the bloc`s members, her critics said.

"I felt I was hallucinating … watching Ursula von der Leyen call the heads of Gulf states," said Nathalie Loiseau, a centrist French lawmaker on the European Parliament`s Foreign Affairs Committee. "She has no diplomatic service, speaks without a mandate or intelligence briefings. Her words have no value beyond her individual statement". The role of coordinating the bloc`s foreign policy, the diplomats who spoke to POLITICO said, lies with Kallas, whose task it is to liaise with capitals and formulate a common position - even if that`s often a slow and painstaking process. Von der Leyen risks creating confusion in relations with the rest of the world, they said.

"The problem is the president going out with ideas and somehow committing the European Union without consulting countries beforehand," said a senior EU diplomat involved in foreign policy discussions and who, like others in this article, was granted anonymity to speak frankly about sensitive internal matters. "She is saying things that are not in her mandate".

These tensions will be in the background as von der Leyen and Kallas preside over a conference of EU ambassadors in Brussels today, where both are due to give keynote speeches. The Commission rejected the accusations, saying von der Leyen was carrying out her work as she should. She is demonstrating "political leadership of the Commission`s external policies" in line with the EU`s treaties, a Commission spokesperson said. “Outreach to other leaders worldwide is part and parcel of President von der Leyen`s responsibilities, be it bilaterally, multilaterally or in EU-led initiatives, such as the Global Gateway event", designed to boost investment around the world, the spokesperson said. The EU`s formal position on the Iran war was not set out by von der Leyen but defined by Kallas in a statement coordinated with Europe`s 27 countries a week ago, according to the spokesperson. “The statement reflects the EU`s position on the matter”, the spokesperson said".