Eduardo González The heads of State and Government were unable yesterday to reach an agreement on the distribution of the main positions in the new institutional cycle of the EU, after the European elections of June 9. “There is no agreement on the senior officials of the European Union. We will have to wait until next week,” declared the still president of the European Council, Charles Michel. This means that everything will be postponed until the next summit of EU leaders, which will take place on June 27 and 28. In yesterday's negotiations, the European People's Party (EPP) wanted to make use of its 190 seats to obtain support for the continuity of Ursula von der Leyen at the head of the European Commission and to sell dearly, and conditionally, its support for the Portuguese socialist as president of the European Council. The meeting of European leaders, among whom was the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, began in the early afternoon and concluded in the early hours of the morning. If something became clear, from very early on, it is that the EPP is willing to take over three or even the main senior positions in the EU, since, once the presidency of Von der Leyen in the Commission and the Maltese Roberta Metsola in the European Parliament, his other main objective would be the European Council. In the case of the first, everything points to the possibility that the Spitzenkandidat process will be respected, which could mean a second term for Ursula von der Leyen. The German, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is very well placed to succeed herself, in her capacity as candidate of the European People's Party (EPP), a political family that came first in the European elections, with 190 seats. (+14) in the new Parliament. The appointment of the 65-year-old German is not, however, automatic, since she will need the support of at least a “qualified majority” of at least fifteen countries, representing 65% of the European population. The EPP currently has a dozen leaders within the European Council, so the support of the French president Emmanuel Macron, in the centrist and liberal camp, and the German chancellor, Olaf Sholz, belonging to the social democracy, is crucial. As for the presidency of the European Council, the Belgian Charles Michel, who maintains difficult relations with Von der Leyen, will leave his duties and the socialists have supported António Costa, the 62-year-old former Portuguese socialist prime minister, whose name has not been retained. stained by the investigation for influence peddling to which he was subjected and which made him resign from office in November. The Socialists have committed to respecting the Spitzenkandidat process (and therefore supporting Von der Leyen) if the EPP supports Costa as President of the European Council. In this context, the leaders of the European People's Party yesterday accepted Costa's candidacy with one condition: that his mandate be limited to two and a half years, after which the Presidency of the Council will fall to one of their own. The EU Treaties establish that the mandate of the president of the European Council is two and a half years in duration, extendable for another similar period, but the three presidents that have existed to date (Herman van Rompuy, Donald Tusk and Charles Michel) served the five years. The EPP proposal has initially been rejected by the Social Democrats, which has stalled any possible agreement. Regarding the rest of the senior positions, Maltese Roberta Metsola is running for a second term as president of the European Parliament. Appointed in 2022, Metsola can be re-elected for a second consecutive term of two and a half years, provided that she obtains an absolute majority in the vote to be held in the July plenary session in Strasbourg. Another name being considered is that of the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, who could become the next High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, replacing Josep Borrell, 77 years old. Kallas, a 46-year-old liberal known for her unquestionable support for Ukraine (bordering Estonia) against the Russian invasion, would be the only representative of Eastern Europe in top EU positions.
