No agreement at the special summit on top jobs in the EU on Monday evening: the incumbent head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, must continue to fear a new term in office. After the meeting in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel warned that it is the “collective duty” of EU heads of state or government to make a decision at the official EU summit at the end of next week.
“The 27 must work very hard to reach agreement on the institutional cycle and the strategic agenda,” the acting Council President stressed. After the European elections in early June, EU leaders must decide who they want to nominate as President of the European Commission, President of the Council and EU Representative for Foreign Affairs. The future leadership of the EU Parliament is also likely to be negotiated unofficially. Michel did not want to comment on the three names circulating for the top positions.
The European People’s Party supports Von der Leyen
The government leaders of the European People’s Party (EPP) support a second term for Ursula von der Leyen as President of the Commission. According to EU diplomats, they also demanded a half-mandate from the Council presidency because of their election victory. Unlike the head of the Commission, the presidency of the Council is not granted for five years, but only for 2.5 years. However, in the past it was common for a political family to claim both terms in office.
The former Prime Minister of Portugal has a good chance of winning the top job
According to the Politico portal, the idea to divide the post of President of the EU Council comes from Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who is also hoping for the post. Until now, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, who belongs to the Social Democrats and came second in the European elections, had the best prospects to succeed Charles Michel.
What is clearer is that there is support for a new term in office for Commission head Ursula von der Leyen: numerous heads of state and government had already spoken in favor of this before the meeting. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) also said that the EPP supports Ursula von der Leyen as head of the Commission. “It is clear that the European People’s Party clearly supports Ursula von der Leyen as President of the Commission and also as President of Parliament (Roberta Metsola; note),” Nehammer said in a press statement before the special summit. Both politicians are EPP members. To be re-elected, Von der Leyen needs a qualified majority of fifteen heads of state or government representing at least 65 percent of the European population.
Estonian Prime Minister Kallas has been mentioned as a promising candidate to succeed Spaniard Josep Borrell at the head of the European External Action Service (EEAS). She belongs to the third-ranked liberal party Renew and is respected at EU level. According to media reports, that is exactly what she is accused of in her home country: time and again it was said that she focused too much on a move to a high position in the EU or NATO than on concerns in Estonia.
Source: Krone
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