EU Summit: Ursula von der Leyen reappointed as head of the Commission

EU leaders meeting at a summit agreed on Thursday to grant a second mandate to Ursula von der Leyen at the head of the Commission and entrust European diplomacy to a strong voice on Ukraine, the Estonian Kaja Kallas.

The reappointment of the German conservative leader will have to be confirmed by an absolute majority of MEPs: the outcome of the vote, expected in mid-July, is uncertain: the usual coalition of conservatives, socialists and liberals in the European Parliament having been weakened during the June elections by the strong push of the extreme right.

To embody the face of EU diplomacy against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the heads of state and government have chosen Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas – a determined opponent of the Kremlin. This 47-year-old liberal will succeed the Spaniard Josep Borrell.

The game was over

Finally, they appointed former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the new president of the European Council, the body that brings together the member states. A year after his resignation over a corruption case that ultimately appears to be poorly supported, this socialist, known for his skillful tactics and pragmatism, will succeed Belgian Charles Michel on December 1.

These three names were widely favored, the games seeming to be made even before the Brussels summit, following the agreement reached on Tuesday between six European leaders – including the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron and the German Olaf Scholz – belonging to the right-wing “grand coalition”. /social-democrats/centrists, in the wake of the European elections.

The Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, castigated a “shameful” arrangement upon arriving at the summit: “European voters have been deceived. (The right) has formed a coalition of lies with the left and the liberals,” he got carried away,

“Oligarchy”

The head of the ultraconservative Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, left out of the negotiations between the three political groups, had denounced the actions of an “oligarchy” the day before in Rome. Thursday evening, she abstained on Ursula von der Leyen and voted against Kaja Kallas and Antonio Costa, according to a diplomatic source.

A number of leaders had shown themselves to be careful to spare her: if Giorgia Meloni’s support was not necessary – unanimity was not required – politically her voice counts.

“There is no Europe without Italy, and there is no decision without Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, that is obvious,” assured the head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk, from the PPE (right).

«Portfolio important»

Like Viktor Orban, Giorgia Meloni intends to have more influence on the choices of the future executive in Brussels, following the rise of the radical and extreme right during the European elections – notably the ECR group of the Italian leader, which took third place from the centrist family of French President Emmanuel Macron in the European Parliament.

Rome is demanding “at a minimum” a vice-presidency of the European Commission, with a “significant portfolio” to influence industrial and agricultural policy, according to its Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

The leaders of the Twenty-Seven also endorsed the “strategic agenda” on Thursday, setting the bloc’s priorities for the next five years, emphasizing security, defense, competitiveness and the fight against illegal immigration in particular.

Among other key EU posts, Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola appears favourite to be re-elected for a second two-and-a-half-year term as head of the European Parliament, following a vote by MEPs in the first plenary session following the June-mid-July poll in Strasbourg.

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