New Delhi
Ursula von der Leyen has secured the nomination for a second term as President of the European Commission despite objections from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who criticised the process.
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, is all set to become the EU’s top diplomat, representing the bloc on the world stage for the next five years.
Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa has been elected as the new President of the European Council. In this role, he will be responsible for facilitating compromises among the 27 heads of state and government.
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Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, tweeted, “Kaja, Ursula and António accepted. Defence plans accepted. Satisfaction. For Poland and for Europe.”
The Commission president should confirm Kallas, as it is a formality. She will also come out before MEPs in the autumn, even though they cannot reject her as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs.
In 2019, von der Leyen made history as the first woman to lead the EU executive in its 62 years. However, she narrowly secured the support of MEPs. Although the groups backing her have a theoretical majority of 55%, a significant number of MEPs could still vote against her in the secret ballot.
A former German government minister, von der Leyen is considered by EU leaders to have performed well in managing the EU’s reaction to a once-in-a-century pandemic and the biggest war on European soil since 1945.
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Her frontrunner status was solidified when her centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) won the most seats in the European Parliament elections earlier this month.
The hurdle was cleared after a deal between EU leaders representing the bloc’s largest pro-European groups, the EEP, the Socialists and the centrist Renew group.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has resentfully spoken against the agreement among the three pro-European groups.
Meloni repeated her criticism of the process that she complained was wrong in method and substance. Her government, she said continued “to work to finally give Italy the weight it deserves in Europe”.
Notably, Meloni is the president of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, the third largest in the parliament.
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Earlier, expressing support for Meloni, Tusk said he has great respect for Italy and its prime minister. “There are some emotions, but in reality, they may have resulted rather from misunderstandings,” he said.
“There is no Europe without Italy and there is no decision without Prime Minister Meloni," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)