This is a developing story, and IMGW News will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.
The top candidates for the European Commission, European Council, and foreign policy service have been agreed upon by key EU negotiators. Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, Portugal’s António Costa, and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas are the names set to be presented to EU leaders at the upcoming summit on Thursday for their approval.
Six EU leaders involved in the negotiations—Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte—have reached a consensus on the top candidates for the bloc’s senior positions, according to five EU officials and as just announced by POLITICO minutes ago.
The names will be presented at a summit in Brussels, seeking approval from the heads of state and government.
An official, who requested anonymity, mentioned that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is likely to be displeased with her exclusion from the negotiation, given her party’s significant position in the European Parliament following June’s elections. Liberals and centre-left groups had stipulated Meloni’s exclusion as a condition for supporting von der Leyen.
Despite her exclusion, Italy is expected to secure a significant portfolio in the new European Commission.
The official remarked, “Now that they agree, this [should sail] through the European Council easily.”
Conversely, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his dissatisfaction on social media, stating, “The deal the EPP made with the leftists and the liberals runs against everything that the EU was based on. Instead of inclusion, it sows the seeds of division. EU top officials should represent every member state, not just leftists and liberals!”
Related IMGW News articles of interest
- Von der Leyen Likely to Secure Second Term as EU Commission President
- Ursula von der Leyen: What are the odds?