EU completes negotiations to choose leader

Ursula von der Leyen nominated for second term as President of the European Commission

As part of the deal to see Ursula von der Leyen continue as President of the European Commission for a second term, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will become the bloc's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, while former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa will be nominated for the position of President of the European Council.

The three names will be presented to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on June 27 for a vote. The approval is expected to be easy.

Politico quoted five unnamed senior officials as saying that the six EU leaders participating in the personnel negotiations were Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (representing the European People's Party), Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz (representing the socialist group), French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (representing the liberals).

An unnamed official told Politico that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was unhappy that she was still excluded from the negotiating effort, even though the far-right now holds the third largest position after the European Parliament elections.

Ms Meloni was excluded from the negotiating table on June 25 because the parties had to comply with the conditions of the liberal and center-left organizations, which announced their refusal to support Ms von der Leyen for a second term if she reached an agreement with the Italian leader.

Nevertheless, Italy is predicted to win a key seat in the European Commission term (2024-2029).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/eu-hoan-tat-dam-phan-chon-lanh-dao-185240625214352622.htm