NewsEU leaders finalize key positions despite internal opposition

EU leaders finalize key positions despite internal opposition

European Union leaders have agreed on the allocation of crucial EU positions. Ursula von der Leyen will be re-elected as the President of the European Commission for a second term. Antonio Costa will be the President of the European Council, and Kaja Kallas will be the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Agreement at the summit. It is known who will take positions in the EU
Agreement at the summit. It is known who will take positions in the EU
Images source: © PAP | OLIVIER HOSLET

12:06 PM EDT, June 28, 2024

The leaders of the 27 EU countries decided on Thursday before midnight on the division of the highest EU positions. Ursula von der Leyen will remain the President of the European Commission, Portuguese Antonio Costa will be the President of the European Council, and Estonian Kaja Kallas will be the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

However, the new leaders were not unanimously elected at the European Council meeting. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposed the appointments. Meloni opposed Costa, and Orban opposed von der Leyen. The Italian Prime Minister abstained from voting on von der Leyen.

The President of the European Commission is elected by the heads of state and government in the European Council. According to the treaty, the candidate must gain a qualified majority, which practically means the support of at least 15 member states. The new President must also be approved by the European Parliament.

The new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, posted a message. "As President of the European Council from December 1, I will be fully committed to promoting unity among the 27 member states. I will focus on implementing the strategic program that was approved today and which will guide the European Union for the next five years," he stated.

© essanews.com
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.