The heads of state and government of the European Union decided this Thursday (27) to appoint German Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission.
The Portuguese António Costa was also appointed as president of the European Council and the Estonian Kaja Kallas as the EU’s high representative for Foreign Affairs.
“Kaja, Ursula and António have accepted,” announced Polish Prime Minister and former President of the European Council Donald Tusk on the social network X. Costa will replace Belgian Charles Michel, and Kallas, Spaniard Josep Borrell.
Despite the growth of the nationalist right in the European Parliament elections, held at the beginning of the month, the European People’s Party (EPP) group, led by Von der Leyen and with a center-right political position, continued as the coalition with the most seats in the house, winning 188 seats.
Costa, of Portugal’s Socialist Party, resigned as prime minister in November last year after it emerged he was under investigation for possible malfeasance, active and passive corruption and influence peddling. He denies the charges.
The resignation led to the early legislative elections in Portugal, held in March and in which the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) was the most voted party, despite the strong growth of the nationalist right-wing Chega party. AD leader Luís Montenegro became the new Portuguese prime minister in April.
Kaja Kallas has been Prime Minister of Estonia since 2021 and is a member of the center-right Estonian Reform Party. (With EFE Agency)
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