European Union leaders did not reach a final agreement on candidates for the top job, according to AP News.
EU Council President Charles Michel stated after chairing an informal dinner summit in Brussels:
There is no agreement tonight at this stage.
The 27 leaders weighed the implications of the recent European elections and how to take those results into account when nominating candidates for top posts.
This conversation was today a useful step to prepare the next European Council.
Michel was referring to the next meeting of EU presidents and prime ministers on 27-28 June. He declined to elaborate on the chances of von der Leyen and others, saying only, “It will be clarified next week.”
The 6-9 June European Parliament elections dealt a major blow to the main ruling parties in Paris and Berlin.
Portugal’s former Socialist prime minister António Costa is often mentioned as a possible council president. Meanwhile, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been named as a potential EU chief diplomat. According to EU treaties, the leaders’ choice of candidates should reflect the results of elections, distributing the office among the winners.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in a post on X that “the will of the European people was ignored” by the other leaders. He complained that the main parties “made a deal and divided the top jobs of the EU among themselves.”
They don’t care about reality, they don’t care about the results of the European elections, and they don’t care about the will of the European people.
Distribution of authority
Amid the EU’s complex power-sharing, leaders can appoint the next president of the commission, which is responsible for setting EU policy on everything from climate to the overall budget.
Over the past five years, von der Leyen has led a huge campaign to secure billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic, set up an economic recovery fund and promoted support for Ukraine.
The package of important positions also includes the president of the Council, the head of EU foreign policy (currently Josep Borrell of Spain) and the president of the European Parliament (currently Roberta Metsola from Malta). The task of the council president is to conclude deals between the 27 member states. Meanwhile, the chief diplomat represents the EU on the world stage.
Some leaders indicated they did not expect a final agreement on the candidates Monday night. However, they insisted that the process should not drag on, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris pointed out.
I don’t think there’ll be any gratitude from Irish citizens or European citizens if politicians here in Brussels are talking for weeks on end about who’s going to do what role when there are so many pressing issues on a European and global level.
