European leaders will announce their decisions for the EU’s prime job at a two-day summit in Brussels, with present European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen set to be nominated for a second time period.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky additionally attended the summit and thanked EU leaders for opening accession talks with Ukraine earlier this week.
Different matters on the agenda embody safety and defence, with leaders of Poland and the Baltic states demanding EU funding to construct protection traces alongside their borders with Russia.
Earlier this week, information emerged that six EU leaders had agreed on nominees, every from one of many three events that dominate the European Parliament.
they’re:
- Ursula von der LeyenThe centre-right European Individuals’s Occasion (EPP) returns as president of the European Fee
- former prime minister of portugal Antonio Costa Socialists and Democrats (S&D) run for European Council presidency
- Prime Minister of Estonia kaja kara The function of centrist “Renew Europe” for the EU’s Excessive Consultant for International Coverage
The six EU leaders negotiating the identify additionally symbolize the European Individuals’s Occasion (EPP), the Particular and Improvement Occasion (S&D) or Renew.
They’re Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis representing the European Individuals’s Occasion, Poland’s Donald Tusk, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez representing the Socialist Occasion and Germany’s Olaf Scholz, in addition to representatives of Regeneration The social gathering’s Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, chief of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) bloc, has been conspicuously excluded from the negotiations – regardless of a resurgence of ECR leaders following the European elections. The social gathering turned the third largest group within the European Parliament earlier this month.
Talking within the Italian parliament on Wednesday, Ms Meloni angrily mentioned European voters have been demanding that the EU “take a unique path than it has hitherto”.
She didn’t criticize by identify “those that consider that residents should not mature sufficient to make sure selections and [who believe] Oligarchy is actually the one acceptable type of democracy.”
Earlier this week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban additionally expressed dissatisfaction with different EU leaders.
Writing in X, Mr Orban mentioned the settlement between the European Individuals’s Occasion, the German Social Democrats and the liberals “goes in opposition to all the things the EU relies on”.
“As an alternative of being inclusive, it sows the seeds of division,” Orban mentioned, including that senior EU officers ought to symbolize “each member state, not simply the left and the liberals!”
On Thursday morning, allies of Ms Meloni informed reporters in Brussels that she had not but determined whether or not to help the brand new management workforce.
Nevertheless, even with Mr Orban’s potential help, Ms Meloni doesn’t have the facility to veto a nomination for the highest job, as doing so would require the help of a majority of EU leaders.
However Ms Meloni has gained prominence amongst Europe’s right-wingers and it’s unlikely Ms von der Leyen will wish to confront her in the beginning of her second time period.
Forward of the summit, members of Ms von der Leyen’s PPE group struck a conciliatory tone, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk telling reporters: “There is no such thing as a Europe with out Italy, there aren’t any selections with out Prime Minister Meloni, that is apparent. “
It is usually thought that Italy can be given a senior place on the following committee in trade for recognition at in the present day’s summit. Every EU member state can have a commissioner, however some (e.g. financial or competitors portfolios) are probably the most coveted.
In a letter to EU leaders on the eve of the Brussels summit, Ms von der Leyen additionally pledged to do extra to sort out unlawful immigration, certainly one of Ms Meloni’s fundamental considerations.
If she is formally nominated as EU leaders’ chosen candidate for the European Fee presidency, Ms von der Leyen will want approval from a majority of MPs at a European Parliament assembly, more likely to be held in mid-year.
Ms von der Leyen can have the help of 190 members of the European Individuals’s Occasion caucus, however she can even want help from different political teams to safe a majority of 361 seats.
