EU leaders: “there is agreement” on von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas
EU leaders who negotiated the bloc’s top posts have agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission. This is what the German agency Dpa has learned from sources involved in the talks.
As part of the agreement, negotiators also agreed that former Portuguese prime minister António Costa will be the next president of the European Council. The Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will be the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs.
The agreement comes ahead of a summit of European leaders to be held in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to decide who will lead the European Union institutions for the next five years. To be nominated, von der Leyen needs the support of a strengthened qualified majority of EU leaders, representing at least 20 countries and 65% of the European Union’s population.
“Important commissioner guaranteed to Meloni”
One of the six negotiators – who today reached the agreement of the top jobs on von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas – has contacted the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to guarantee her, as she requested, an important portfolio in the next European Commission. The Spanish agency Efe reports this, citing a European source.
“Von der Leyen will negotiate directly with Meloni”
When the negotiation enters the final phase, Ursula von der Leyen will negotiate directly with Giorgia Meloni for the future EU majority, not as leader of the EU Conservatives but as Italian Prime Minister, to decide which portfolio will be reserved for Italy in the next Commission European. This is what several international media have announced after the agreement that emerged on the top EU jobs between the People’s Party, Socialists and Liberals.
Enrico Letta meanwhile, recently commissioned by Ursula von der Leyen to draw up a report on the future of the European Union’s internal market, choose a low profile (and hope). “An appointment of mine to the top of the European Union? These are all highly unlikely things to which I am not referring. Appointments are things for which one is not a candidate, they are things that happen. I don’t think it will happen, so I continue with my life “, the former prime minister said last night on Tg3. According to some, Letta is an ace up the sleeve that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, could play to put Meloni in difficulty during the match that will be played in the European Council. But the Italian prime minister has built a good relationship with Letta, especially during the months in which the former prime minister was secretary of the Democratic Party. For this reason – if things were to get complicated – he could desist if Letta was indicated as commissioner.
Fitto: “Italy wants a leading role in the appointments debate”
“The next summit of the Heads of State and Government will be a very important opportunity to discuss the new institutional structures of the European Union and Italy intends to play a leading role in this discussion, appropriate to its status as a founding country “. This was stated in a note by the Minister for European Affairs, the South, Cohesion Policies and the Pnrr, Raffaele Fitto, who today participated in the work of the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg in which the preparation of the European Council of Thursday and Friday’. “Appointments are not the only relevant topic on the agenda of the European Council”, highlights Fitto. “For us it is very important that a clear message comes out of the summit on issues that are crucial for us such as the competitiveness of the European economy, defence, migration and the strategic agenda as well as, obviously, foreign policy issues such as Ukraine and the Middle East on which much progress has been made thanks to the recent G7 summit chaired by President Meloni”
Orban: “Agreement on top jobs goes against the foundations of the EU”
“The deal that the European People’s Party has made with the Left and the Liberals goes against everything the EU is built on. Instead of inclusion, it sows division. Senior EU officials should represent all member states , not just the left and the liberals.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote this on X after the agreement that emerged between the EPP, Socialists and Liberals on top EU jobs.
“EPP renounces relay to the European Council”
The agreement in principle reached between the People’s Party, Socialists and Liberals for the new EU summits provides that the Portuguese Antonio Costa will be appointed to lead the European Council for an initial period of two and a half years – as foreseen by the treaties – and it will then be up to the leaders as a matter of practice, decide at a later date whether to extend his presidency for the remaining two and a half years of his mandate. This is what we learn from diplomatic sources. The agreement thus distances itself from the request made in recent days by the EPP for an automatic relay to the top of the Council after the first 2 and a half years.
The EU Socialists confirm Garcia Perez as group leader in the EP
The Socialists and Democrats group in the European Chamber has confirmed the Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia Perez as president. The decision was taken by acclamation at the group’s meeting in the European Parliament in Brussels.
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