Von der Leyen re-nominated as President of the European Commission

At the EU Summit in Brussels, the bloc's 27 national leaders also nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as President of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the EU's next foreign policy chief.

"Mission accomplished! The European Council has done it," said the current President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

European Council President Charles Michel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend the signing ceremony of the security agreement with the EU during the European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, June 27, 2024 Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET/Pool

The leadership will represent the bloc of around 450 million people, with pro-EU centrists holding key positions despite a surge in the far-right in recent European Parliament elections.

Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained from voting for Ms Von der Leyen and voted against Mr Costa and Ms Kallas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also abstained from voting for Ms Von der Leyen and did not vote for Ms Kallas.

Ms Von der Leyen's nomination needs to be approved by the European Parliament in a secret vote, which is seen as more difficult than the support of EU leaders.

The new EU leadership team is balanced both politically and geographically. Ms Von der Leyen is from the centre-right, Mr Costa is from the centre-left and Ms Kallas is from the European liberals.

At the summit, the EU also signed a security agreement with Ukraine, discussing ways to strengthen EU defence and agreeing the bloc's strategic priorities for the next five years. The security agreement underlines the EU's support for Kiev in its conflict with Russia.

The war in Ukraine has exposed the EU’s lack of preparedness for conflict as it struggles to provide Kiev with enough weapons. The bloc has called for greater coordination and investment in the defence industry. Ms Von der Leyen said the EU needed to invest €500bn in defence over the next 10 years.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ba-von-der-leyen-tiep-tuc-duoc-de-cu-lam-chu-cich-uy-ban-chau-au-post301348.html