European Union leaders failed to reach a final agreement on Monday on a candidate for the bloc’s top executive, but several praised the performance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to win leaders’ backing for a second term in office later this month.
“There is no deal tonight,” said EU Council President Charles Michel, who presided over an informal dinner summit in Brussels.
The 27 leaders were considering the impact of the recent European Parliament elections and how to take their results into account when nominating candidates for the top job.
“Today’s meeting was a useful step in preparing for the next European Council,” Michel said, referring to the next meeting of EU presidents and prime ministers to be held on June 27 and 28.
He avoided making any specific comments about the possibility of von der Leyen and others, saying only that “it will become clear next week.”
The elections, held from June 6 to 9, shifted the European Parliament to the right, dealing a major blow to the mainstream ruling parties in Paris and Berlin.
The Franco-German engines that usually drive EU politics have weakened significantly, giving rise to far-right parties, but names of candidates for key posts have been bandied about in Brussels for months.
When it comes to Michel’s job – the role of council president – the name of Portugal’s former Socialist prime minister, Antonio Costa, is often mentioned.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, known for her tough stance against Russia, has emerged as a possible candidate for the European Union’s top diplomat.
According to EU treaties, the leaders’ choice of candidates will reflect the results of the elections and distribute posts among the winners.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who leads a strongly nationalist government, said in a post on X that “the will of the European people has been ignored by other leaders.”
He complained that the mainstream parties “have agreed to divide the EU’s top jobs among themselves. They don’t care about reality, they don’t care about the results of the European elections, they don’t care about the will of the European people.”
Under the EU’s complex division of powers, leaders will nominate the next president of the Commission, which is responsible for setting all EU policy from climate to the huge common budget.
“We are positive about Ursula von der Leyen,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters as he arrived for the meeting.
The first provisional results of the European Parliament elections are projected on a big screen during an election event at the European Parliament in Brussels, Sunday, June 9, 2024. As the 27 heads of state of the European Union gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024, to review the results of the unexpected European elections and begin the difficult process of dividing up the EU’s top executive posts, they will be shuffling their cards and playing political games as they always do. (Photo by The Associated Press)
Over the past five years, von der Leyen has led a massive effort to secure billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, set up an economic recovery fund and advocated for Ukraine’s future EU membership in its war with Russia.
But Rutte added: “I’m not saying we will support her. There is a strong possibility that we will, but of course it will depend on what the overall package comes out like.”
The package also includes three other top posts: president of the Council, EU foreign policy chief (currently centre-left Josep Borrell from Spain) and president of the European Parliament (currently conservative Roberta Metsola from Malta).
The Council president’s job is to broker deals between the 27 member states, while the top diplomat represents the EU on the world stage.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not answer a question about whether he would personally support von der Leyen serving a second term, but stressed that his support depended on her working with mainstream parties rather than with right-wing parties.
Ahead of the election, many Socialist and Green lawmakers criticised von der Leyen for trying to win the support of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, a member of the right-wing populist Brothers of Italy party.
“It is clear that the election of the commission chairman based on the support of right-wing or right-wing populist parties is not possible,” Scholz said.
Several leaders had said they did not expect a final agreement on a candidate to be reached Monday night, but argued the process should not drag on.
“With so many pressing European and global issues, politicians in Brussels spending weeks debating who will play what role is not going to generate any gratitude from Irish or European citizens,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said.
German conservative Von der Leyen, who did not speak to reporters on her arrival at the summit, is well positioned after her centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) parliamentary group performed well in the polls.
But nothing is guaranteed.
Von der Leyen’s presidential style has at times infuriated her colleagues in the European Commission and she is deeply unpopular in parts of the European Parliament, where she needs the support of 361 of the 720 lawmakers to keep her job.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that despite far-right victories in France and Germany, mainstream parties such as his own European People’s Party, the centre-left Socialist Workers’ Party, the Democrats and the pro-business liberals still had majorities in parliament.
“I feel like it’s enough to get the whole situation in place with the new (jobs), including the chair,” he told reporters ahead of the meeting.
But Tusk called for “public clarification” about “what the legal situation is” surrounding Costa and the Portuguese corruption scandal that ousted him from office.
Costa left office after eight years in the position and has not been charged with any crime.
