Whether Kaja Kallas will be offered the post of EU high representative will likely become clear June 27-28. Taking the job would mean resigning both as prime minister and Reform Party chair. The names of Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Minister of Climate Kristen Michal have been most often proposed in terms of who might fill Kallas' shoes. While Pevkur has expressed willingness to run, his chances are diminished following the scandal of €1.6 billion in missing defense funding.

Michal has largely refrained from commenting on the matter but told ERR in a short comment that it is something he is willing to consider should his fellow Reform members wish it.

"Should Kaja Kallas be picked for this role, which matters a great deal to Europe – there are very few politicians from small countries that have her security policy clout – and the matter of who will become the new Reform chairman come up, I'm willing to discuss it with members of the party, and they can count on me," Michal said.

He added that people in Estonia need certainty that the country is well defended and run.

"That is my goal in whichever role. Today, it is as climate minister. There are no chairman elections at present and things need to keep going, work needs to be done in Estonia."

Michal added that he plans to concentrate on the strengths of Estonia and the Reform Party moving forward.

"The goal is to manufacture certainty for Estonia, both in terms of national defense and decision-making, in what are difficult times. The problems that have cropped up in the field of national defense need to be solved, and the Estonian people are expecting a common effort instead of confrontation on that road. Hanno Pevkur has my support when it comes to solving these problems as national defense is too important for us to stray there," the politician noted.

ERR's information suggests the Reform Party board is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the political situation and any future steps. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has refrained from commenting on what was said at the informal EU leaders meeting on June 17.

Reform Party board member Marko Mihkelson said Wednesday that Brussels' indecision is making it difficult for Reform to plan its steps. No one wants to presume Kallas is a shoo-in for the high representative post, while those in Estonia are in a race against time.

"Should Estonia get a new prime minister, it could, theoretically, result in the coalition agreement being opened, while it is clear that we'll have to take these decisions sooner rather than later, and this summer will hardly be one of resting," Mihkelson remarked.

The Reform Party has one of two ways to proceed should Kallas leave for Brussels, according to the party's statutes. First, the board could agree on a new prime ministerial candidate who would be given the powers to form a government. The same person would later run for chairman at the party's congress. The other option is convening an extraordinary general assembly, for which 14 days notice needs to be given, to first elect a new party leader who would then become Reform's new candidate for premier.

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