The last regular summit before the summer break is expected to bring a formal decision on the new appointments to top positions. For Ursula von der Leyen, however, it is only an interim step.
President of the EU Commission, EU chief diplomat and President of the EU Council: At an EU summit in Brussels, a formal decision is to be made on the new appointments to top EU posts after the European elections. It is almost certain that the German CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen will be nominated for a second term as President of the EU Commission.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised a fair debate about who will fill the top positions. There is indeed a political agreement between conservatives, social democrats and liberals. But that is “just one position,” said the SPD politician before the meeting of the 27 heads of state and government in Brussels. “We will discuss this carefully and fairly. All 27 are equally important and that is important to me,” stressed Scholz. He had previously been asked whether he understood that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni felt ignored.
The three major European party families had agreed that von der Leyen would remain Commission President and that the liberal Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas would be given the post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa is slated to become President of the EU Council. Meloni had criticized this agreement for ignoring the successes of the right-wing parties in the European elections.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer stressed that it was important to integrate Meloni well into the negotiation process. “I think the decisive factor is that we significantly improve the culture of discussion,” he said. The constructive forces within the European Parliament must be taken along, even if they belong to other groups.
Parliament can still prevent von der Leyen
The EU Parliament can theoretically still thwart the heads of state and government. A majority of the Parliament must confirm the composition of the Commission. The informal alliance of the EPP, Social Democrats and Liberals theoretically has a comfortable majority of around 400 of the 720 votes. However, it is expected that a certain number of MPs will deviate from the group line in the secret ballot and will not vote for von der Leyen. It is therefore assumed that von der Leyen will also try to win votes from MPs from other parties, especially those from the Greens. Representatives of the Greens have recently repeatedly signaled a willingness to talk.
Parliament President Metsola warns against EU destroyers
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, warns of increasing momentum for EU enemies after the European elections. “The responsibility lies with us. If we do not deliver, those who want to destroy Europe will only grow,” said Metsola on Thursday on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. We cannot afford to be in the same situation at the next EU elections in 2029. We cannot continue like this.
Metsola pointed out that when implementing EU laws, one must always keep in mind what this means for citizens or companies. In the European elections, right-wing and Eurosceptic parties had great success in France, Italy and Austria. In Germany, the AfD became the second strongest force.
Ukraine receives security assurances
The security agreement that the EU wants to sign with Ukraine is the result of an initiative by members of the G7 group of western economic powers. They agreed on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania last year that individual states should conclude bilateral agreements with Ukraine in order to guarantee its long-term security. Countries such as Great Britain, Germany and France made a start in January and February. The USA, among others, followed suit.
The agreements guarantee Ukraine arms deliveries, financial aid and political cooperation, among other things. They are intended to help bridge the period until the country’s desired accession to NATO. Germany has, for example, promised Ukraine to continue and expand its military support – including through further arms deliveries and the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Most recently, Zelensky was in Brussels at the end of May to sign a security agreement between his country and Belgium. Among other things, the agreement promises Ukraine the delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets.
Source: Stern
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