In the wake of the European elections, an early consensus emerged to nominate Germany’s von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission, António Costa of Portugal as President of the European Council, Roberta Mitsola of Malta as President of the European Parliament, and Kaia Kallas of Estonia as Foreign Policy Officer. .
Expectations were high as the 27 heads of state and government met in Brussels in the hope of dividing the bloc’s top four positions between the current coalition of the centre-right European People’s Party, socialists and liberals.
After Macron’s party was defeated by the far right in the elections, his decision to dissolve the French parliament and call for early elections appears to have accelerated discussions about senior positions. Usually, negotiations take weeks.
In recent weeks, other European leaders have also stressed the need for continuity given the Russian war in Ukraine and the potential return of former US President Donald Trump.
But hopes for a quick agreement evaporated on Monday night, as the European People’s Party, winner of the European Parliament elections, demanded more concessions and more power among the top positions. As expected, the EPP wanted to reappoint von der Leyen and Mitsola, both of whom belong to the political family. In addition, the EPP proposed to the Socialists that the term of the European Council president be divided into two parts of two and a half years each – one of which the EPP would get.
This in turn angered the Socialists and Democrats, who were hoping to win Costa’s position. Soon after the talks faltered, the blame game began.
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