German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been tapped to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker and lead the European Commission following marathon negotiations among EU leaders.
The European Council, which is made up of all EU28 leaders, nominated von der Leyen on the third straight day of gruelling talks. She will be joined by Belgium’s Charles Michel as European Council president; Josep Borrell Fontelles as EU foreign policy chief; and Christine Lagarde to lead the European Central Bank.
But the proposed deal remains unconfirmed because it is facing resistance from parts of the European Parliament, which must back Ms von der Leyen’s appointment. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had to abstain on the deal because of resistance from some of her party’s coalition partners in Berlin.
If confirmed by the European Parliament, von der Leyen, who was born in Brussels, would make history as the first female Commission president.
The surprise selection after three days of marathon negotiations among EU leaders marks the death — at least temporarily — of the Spitzenkandidat or “lead candidate” process, according to which the European Council was expected to make its choice from among nominees put forward by the EU’s major political families.
Two of those nominees — conservative German MEP Manfred Weber and socialist Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans — were rejected during the Council’s deliberations.
The Council’s choice of von der Leyen may face stiff resistance in the European Parliament. To take effect, the nomination requires approval by an absolute majority of the Parliament’s 751 members.
Von der Leyen is under a cloud of allegations of misspending and mismanagement of contracts back home, tied to the hiring of two consulting firms, McKinsey and Accenture.
She may also face questions about her overall job performance at the defense ministry, given widespread criticism of the German military as being in relatively poor shape compared to other NATO allies.
The candidate for the presidency of the EU commission needs a majority in the European Parliament, and so the European leaders have for the first time decided to seek consultations with the parliament on the package they plan to agree.
If the three major political groups – EPP, the Socialists & Democrats, and the liberals of Renew Europe – agree with the proposal from the European Council, there will be an overall deal. If not, national leaders will need to go back to the drawing board.
Meanwhile, early reactions from MEPs who were gathered in Strasbourg for the first session of the new parliament criticised the emerging deal.
POLITICO / Euronews / New Europe / FT / EU Observer
