Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) welcomed the decision for top positions in the EU at the summit in Brussels. “It is important that we have avoided a vacuum and that we have taken important personnel decisions together,” Nehammer said on Friday evening after the deliberations. In terms of content, the chancellor expects more pragmatism and more subsidiarity from the new European Commission, as he said.
The decisions for Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President, Antonio Costa as Council President and Kaja Kallas as Foreign Affairs Representative were taken “in a good conversation”, Nehammer said. Important substantive issues were also discussed – such as migration, competitiveness and reducing regulation for businesses.
Majority for Von der Leyen
Nehammer assumes that a majority for Von der Leyen’s second term will be guaranteed in the next European Parliament. In principle, there is an agreed approach between the party families, he said. He assumes that the MPs will adhere to this.
The Chancellor defended the cooperation between Christian, Social Democrats and Liberals on the EU staff package. The goal in parliament is to find a sustainable majority. “This was most possible between the Social Democrats, the European People’s Party and the Liberals, and most difficult with the group that included (Italian Prime Minister) Giorgia Meloni,” Nehammer said. Meloni had sharply criticized the deal between the three parties and abstained from voting on von der Leyen.
Approval for Kallas
Regarding Kallas, Nehammer said it was important for the future EU foreign policy chief to monitor all of the EU’s external borders, including the southern border, where migration takes place. Kallas brings “a lot of experience” and, as Estonia’s prime minister, “is under great pressure from Russian aggression” and has proven herself there, Nehammer said. “We in the Council trust her ability to understand the EU as a whole.”
The EU elections have shown that “a change in political direction is needed,” Nehammer continued. “The task will be to take into account the election results of these people. This also means that the committee must be composed differently.”
“There will be more pragmatism”
Nehammer also expects a fundamental change in EU policy. “There will be more pragmatism, that is my expectation from the Commission. There will be more subsidiarity again. This means that the Commission will not interfere in all matters, but in the central issues of the European Union.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
