The leader of the EPP Group in the European Parliament and the candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Commission, Germany’s Manfred Weber, has not thrown in the towel just yet. Over the weekend, he asked that the vote of European voters be respected.
On 23 June on his Twitter account, the German said it would be disappointing for voters to see that major decisions are taken in diplomats' rooms, while the European Summit noted that none of the Spitzenkandidaten proposed by the European political groups has a majority at this stage (see EUROPE 12280/2).
He also called on socialist and liberal parties to show that they value “parliamentary democracy” in Europe. “It would be tragic if they placed the interests of a few countries above those of the newly formed Parliament”, he wrote, while the official line of the EPP group is to continue to support his candidacy.
On 23 June, the EPP candidate, like the other European Parliament group leaders, met Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, in view of the negotiations that will continue until 30 June (see EUROPE 12279/1).
The surprise came from the Social Democrats, who reaffirmed their support for their Spitzenkandidat, the current First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. The Social Democratic party, which came second on 26 May with about 30 fewer seats, continues to demand the presidency of the Commission.
During her meeting with the President of the European Council, the new Spanish President of the S&D Group, Iratxe Perez, considered that this position should be held by the top candidate on her group’s list. “I have just reaffirmed the S&D's strong commitment to the 'Spitzenkandidat' process to Donald Tusk and we are convinced that Frans Timmermans could obtain the support of the majority of the European Parliament to become President of the Commission.”
To get around the EPP, which also wants this position, the S&D must get the support of all its members, as well as those of the Renew Europe, Greens and GUE/NGL groups (377 seats out of 751, a very small majority).
In theory, European leaders should consult each other on these appointments ahead of the Osaka G20 summit and then continue these discussions back in Parliament. However, many are planning a rather long European Summit on 30 June. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Sophie Petitjean)