EU leaders not agreeing on process to choose successor to Juncker
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European leaders are split over the process for choosing the next president of the European Commission and face stormy negotiations on top jobs after this month’s EU elections.
Emmanuel Macron, French president, reiterated his opposition on Thursday during the summit in Sibiu, Romania, to the so-called Spitzenkandidat idea, whereby the nominee of the largest EU parliamentary group after the elections would succeed Jean-Claude Juncker.
The favourite is Manfred Weber of the centre-right European People’s party.
Macron, a long-term opponent of the idea, insisted he would not yield and said the concept was “not the right approach”.At the end of the summit, the French president said his priority was to make sure those chosen shared his ambitions for reforming the EU and were “competent.”
Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.
He stressed the European Union need’s the best leaders possible and they must avoid a compromise to take the least good candidate, which has been the case sometimes before.
Macron said he does not see himself as in any way bound by the principle of Spitzenkandidaten.
Earlier Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s prime minister and a prominent member of the EPP, as well express disagreement saying he does not see this as democratic.
European People’s Party (EPP) chairman and lead candidate for the European elections Manfred Weber of the Christian Social Union Party (CSU) .
As well as a president for the commission, the EU also needs to decide this year on successors to Donald Tusk, EU Council president, and Mario Draghi, European Central Bank president.
On Thursday Tusk, who will co-ordinate the process, said he would aim to reach a unanimous agreement at a summit in late June, but would not “shy away” from using a majority vote. “We need effective institutions so we need swift decisions,” he said.
Angela Merkel, German chancellor, whose Christian Democrats are part of the EPP, has publicly endorsed Weber but it is unclear how strongly she is prepared to fight for him.
Weber said on Thursday that the EPP would look like “a ridiculous institution” if it ditched him as a candidate for a top job after he was resoundingly elected by delegates. Other leaders underlined opposition to the Spitzenkandidat process. Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s prime minister, said it had failed to connect with the electorate. “Ask my voters,” he said. “They have no clue who is the Spitzenkandidaten from any party.”Dalia Grybauskaite, Lithuania’s president, also said the approach was “a little bit out of democratic procedures and treaties”.
