EU special summit: Von der Leyen must continue to be patient
The co-faction leader of the Greens, Terry Reintke, expressed her disappointment in the Deutschlandfunk regarding the meeting of the heads of state and government. If the "Postengeschachere" (horse-trading) goes on, it could endanger the EU's ability to act.
On the other hand, the European People's Party (EPP) faction leader, Manfred Weber (CSU), spoke positively about the summit in the Deutschlandfunk. "Our lead candidate, with whom we went transparently into the election, received a lot of support there," he said.
With Ursula von der Leyen as the European-wide lead candidate, the EPP became the strongest force in the European elections, ahead of the CDU and CSU by a significant margin. The EPP therefore claims the EU Commission presidency for the former German Defense Minister for the next five years.
The Social Democrats came in second place in the elections with slight losses and want to fill the EU Council Presidency, currently held by the Belgian Charles Michel. They have proposed the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa for the position.
The Liberals suffered significant losses and hope for the position of EU High Representative, which some diplomats consider a "consolation prize." The Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is in talks for this role.
Weber stated that Costa and Kallas were "positively received" in the EPP. They "stand for continuity, for substance." Furthermore, there is a good regional balance with the candidates from Southern and Eastern Europe. What's most important now is "that we don't end up in personal chaos but instead focus on the issues," he emphasized.
At the summit, there was a lot of support for von der Leyen. A series of heads of state and government publicly acknowledged the CDU politician's "excellent job" over the past five years - including those who do not belong to the conservative camp.
While von der Leyen can hope for green light from the member states for a second term, there was surprisingly fierce competition for the position of EU Council President. According to reports from several delegations, conservative heads of state and government also laid claim to the position - at least for half of the five-year legislative term. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is said to be interested in the position.
EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola was also mentioned as a potential Council President at the summit. Initially, the 45-year-old Maltese woman wants to stay at the helm of the European Parliament for another two and a half years.
Scholz had expressed hope for a quick agreement before the summit. For his backing of von der Leyen, he again set a condition: "There should be no support for the Commission presidency in the Parliament that is based on right-wing and right-populist parties," he said.
Even if there is a quick agreement on von der Leyen at the EU summit next week, it is not a done deal: In the European Parliament, she needs the support of 361 of the 720 members. The earliest possible date for her election is the constituent session of the EU Parliament in mid-July in Strasbourg.
- Manfred Weber, the co-faction leader of the European People's Party (EPP), delivered a positive statement about the EU special summit in Deutschlandfunk.
- Terry Reintke, the co-faction leader of Alliance 90/The Greens, expressed her disappointment with the horse-trading in the EU during the summit as discussed in Deutschlandfunk.
- Ursula von der Leyen, the European-wide lead candidate of the EPP, became the strongest force in the European elections, surpassing the CDU and CSU by a significant margin.
- The European elections saw the Social Democrats come in second place with slight losses, aiming to fill the EU Council Presidency currently held by Charles Michel.
- The Liberals experienced significant losses and are vying for the position of EU High Representative, a role currently in discussions with the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
- Weber declared that Costa and Kallas, potential candidates for the EU Council Presidency and the High Representative role respectively, were positively received in the EPP.
- Despite von der Leyen's likely green light from member states for a second term as EU Commission President, there was fierce competition for the EU Council Presidency, including conservative heads of state and government.
- Robert Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, was mentioned as a potential candidate for the EU Council Presidency during the summit.
- In order to secure Scholz's backing for von der Leyen as EU Commission President, a condition was set: no support from right-wing or right-populist parties should be present in the Parliament.
