European Union leaders have agreed on candidates for key positions.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
At the EU summit, Ursula von der Leyen was approved for appointment as President of the European Commission for a second term.
They also approved the former Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, as President of the European Council, and the current Prime Minister of Estonia, Kai Kallas, as the EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy.
In a statement published on X, European Council President-elect António Costa confirmed that he will take office on 1 December, when the term of incumbent President Charles Michel expires.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told X that the agreement on top positions reached by the European People’s Party, the Socialists and the Liberals is “wrong in method and content.”
Meloni abstained from voting on Ursula von der Leyen and voted against Antonio Costa and Kai Callas. The Italian leader said she voted this way “out of respect for the citizens and the instructions given by those citizens during the elections.”
Viktor Orbán has split votes on a package of top jobs. He voted against Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, abstained from voting for Kaja Callas as EU foreign policy chief and voted in favor of António Costa as president of the European Council.
Von der Leyen’s position is the most politically influential in the EU.
The European Commission is the bloc’s executive arm and the initiator of new legislation. It can sue its member states, negotiate trade deals and control a two-trillion-euro budget, with considerable freedom in how to distribute and retain that cash.
German von der Leyen managed to increase the European Commission’s budget after EU leaders decided the institution should be responsible for funds for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
And there’s every reason she will be one of the continent’s leading figures in the future as Europe faces something of a power vacuum.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s influence is expected to weaken due to French parliamentary elections in July and he is likely to find it very difficult to lead the country and make important decisions before his term expires in 2027.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, experts suggest, will most likely not be re-elected next year either, so von der Leyen will have the difficult task of being a bulwark against growing populist forces both inside and outside the bloc.
However, neighboring countries should rejoice at its presence, especially Ukraine.
Ursula von der Leyen consistently defended support for Kyiv, even as “Ukraine fatigue” was evident in some corners of the bloc. She was instrumental in securing candidate status (also for Georgia and Moldova) as well as the recent opening of accession negotiations, and was equally influential in securing long-term funding for Ukraine.
While there may not be any new EU members joining the EU over the next five years, von der Leyen has certainly laid the groundwork for the bloc’s expansion after stepping down from her duties.
António Costa is liked by most, if not all, of the EU’s other heads of state and government. He speaks English and French well, has a wealth of political experience, and at 62, is said to be unlikely to be as wildly ambitious as his younger predecessor, Charles Michel.
Price probably sees this post as his final contribution to big politics. He is also widely respected in the Global South, and since his father is half Goan, half Mozambican, Price will be the first non-white leader of an EU institution.
At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while António Costa was Prime Minister of Portugal, the country, located at the very edge of the European continent, provided Kyiv with 250 million euros in financial support.
However, there are some questions about Costa, in particular about accusations that his aides were involved in dubious investment deals for green hydrogen projects.
Costa denied his involvement, but said he was resigning because the prime minister’s activities were “incompatible with suspicion of any criminal act.”
Despite the suspension of the investigation, the situation is not fully clarified.
Questions have also arisen as to the extent to which Koshta is truly a conscious advocate of supporting Ukraine in deterring Russian aggression.
However, his supporters say he has excellent relations with Zelensky, not least because of the sizeable Ukrainian diaspora in Portugal.
This country, unlike other southern EU states such as Italy and Spain, has always supported Russian sanctions and the further expansion of the bloc.
Estonian Kaja Kallas is a hawk on this list, so predatory towards Russia that Moscow has put her on the wanted list.
Callas’s deep dislike of the Kremlin made her, at least in the eyes of Western member states, unsuitable for the position of NATO secretary general, for which she was also running.
Some doubt that Callas will be able to manage the EU’s diplomatic corps given her outspoken nature.
In recent months, she has softened her tone, especially given the work ahead, but then Josep Borrell has often gotten into trouble for straying from the mainstream and expressing opinions that reflected his native Spain more than Brussels, notably on the war in Gaza and criticism of Israel.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.