The European Union leaders ended discussions on Monday (June 17) about who should assume the top positions in the EU for the next five years without reaching a consensus. The next round of discussions will take place at the summit next week.
Twenty-seven heads of state and government gathered in Brussels, hoping to select successors for the EU’s top four positions from an alliance consisting of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), Socialists, and Liberals. There were high expectations from all parties for this meeting to yield results.
According to European edition Politico, European Council President Charles Michel stated after a leaders’ dinner on Monday evening, “No agreement was reached tonight.”
Following the EU elections, leaders of EU countries had initially reached a preliminary consensus on Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen being re-elected as European Commission President, senior Socialist Antonio Costa from Portugal becoming Council President, and Liberalist Kaja Kallas from Estonia assuming the role of Chief Diplomat.
Details of the Brussels meeting were disclosed by an anonymous EU diplomat to Politico’s European edition.
The report stated that on Monday night, hopes for a quick agreement were dashed as the European People’s Party, as winners of the European Parliament elections, demanded more concessions and power in high-level positions.
The European People’s Party wanted both von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, of the same political faction, to be re-elected. Additionally, they proposed splitting the term of the European Council President into two 2.5-year periods, with the hopes of having one of those terms.
Citing information from an anonymous EU diplomat, Politico’s European edition reported that this proposal was unacceptable to the Socialists and Democrats Progressive Alliance (S&D) who support Costa for the position, leading to a deadlock in negotiations.
After Macron’s party suffered a heavy defeat to right-wing parties in the elections, he decided to dissolve the French parliament and hold elections early on June 30, seemingly accelerating the discussions on top-level positions. Typically, negotiations would take several weeks. Germany has explicitly declared its support for von der Leyen’s re-election.
EU leaders will meet again in Brussels on June 27-28 with the hope of reaching a consensus on EU leaders before the next EU Commission President is elected by the European Parliament in mid-July.