Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas back key EU jobs

Released in: 28/06/2024 – 13:26

3 minutes

European Union leaders approved the three most important nominations for their common political institutions on Thursday, reinstalling German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission for another five years.

Von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive branch, will be joined by two new faces: Antonio Costa from Portugal as president of the European Council and Kaja Kallas from Estonia as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.

“Mission accomplished,” outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters after chairing a summit of the bloc’s leaders, with von der Leyen and Kallas joining him for a joint news conference. Costa took part via video link.

Von der Leyen expressed gratitude for the opportunity to run for a second term, saying: “I am very honored and happy to share this moment.”

Kallas, who will lead the bloc’s foreign and security policy as the EU’s top diplomat as Russia enters its third year of war with Ukraine, noted that “there is a war in Europe and growing instability in the world. My goal is definitely to work for European unity.”

Both von der Leyen and Kallas should now be approved by European lawmakers. Costa’s appointment only required approval from leaders, and he will begin his new role in the fall.

The critical jobs package was widely expected to be approved without controversy at the summit in Brussels after three centrist political groups struck a deal earlier this week in the European Parliament.

But far-right politicians, emboldened by their strong showing in the European Parliament elections earlier this month, called it nonsense.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made clear she is unhappy about being excluded from preparatory talks with a small group of leaders who have split the top jobs. Her nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists group emerged as a third force in EU parliamentary elections held earlier this month.

Meloni voted against Costa of Portugal and Kallas of Estonia, two sources close to the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The same sources confirmed that Meloni abstained from voting on von der Leyen for European Commission president. The officials requested anonymity in line with EU practice.

In a post on X, Meloni said the way the main parties are putting forward the trio “is wrong in method and content. I have decided not to support it out of respect for the citizens and the guidance these citizens have given during the elections.”

The only serious critic of the deal was Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“European voters have been deceived,” he said on Facebook on Thursday evening. “We do not support this shameful agreement!” His objections were groundless: the package needed only a two-thirds vote to pass.

The elections held on 6-9 June saw the EU legislature shift to the right and deal major blows to mainstream ruling parties in France and Germany, although three mainstream parties managed to retain narrow majorities of seats.

Costa, a former prime minister of Portugal, comes from the center-left Socialists and Democrats group, which came in second place. Kallas is the Prime Minister of his small Baltic country. She comes from a pro-business liberal group that also includes weakened French President Emmanuel Macron, but she lost seats in the June poll, falling to fourth place.

Appointments to the EU’s top positions are intended to ensure geographical and ideological balance, but ultimately it is the 27 leaders who decide the fate – and generally the most powerful among them.

While Costa’s nomination is decided by EU leaders themselves, both von der Leyen and Kallas will also need to be approved by a majority of lawmakers. With 720 members, the threshold is 361. This vote could take place during the first meeting of the newly established European Parliament in July.

The European Council is a body made up of the leaders of the 27 member states. If confirmed, Costa’s role as president would be to broker deals within an often hopelessly divided political club. He is known in Portugal as a shrewd negotiator.

But von der Leyen’s role is the most powerful. As president of the Commission, her job is to develop and implement the bloc’s common policies on everything from migration to the economy and environmental regulations.

Amid opposition from the far right to flagship EU policies introduced over the past five years, von der Leyen’s critics say she is ready to scale back her ambitions.

(AP)