While the Heads of State and Government welcomed, on Tuesday 2 July, the agreement reached after 48 hours of negotiations on appointments to key posts (see other news), in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, enthusiasm was much more mixed.
This is a "difficult day" for Manfred Weber. The current Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament acknowledged this after a meeting with his group. The German had announced earlier in the day that he would not run for President of the Commission after more than nine months of campaigning (see EUROPE 12133/2).
But it is also a "sad day for Parliamentary democracy", continued the CSU deputy, while the EPP group in Parliament and other groups fought to ensure that Parliament could determine a programme and a personality for this key position at the Commission and tried to save the Spitzenkandidat system
Nevertheless, the MEP "welcomed the results of the European Council" and said he was "loyal to this package", which allows the EPP to keep the presidency of the Commission.
Despite the fact that the Spitzenkandidaten process has not been respected, "the party will take its responsibilities" and will therefore support this package, Manfred Weber hoping that this will be the case for the other Parliament political families.
But in light of the initial reactions on Tuesday evening, there are grounds for doubt. At the end of the Bureau and Heads of Delegation meeting, Parliament S&D Group Chair Iratxe García said the leaders' proposal was "deeply disappointing" and reiterated her support for the Spitzenkandidat process.
"Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission for Social Democrats is unacceptable", said former S&D Group President Udo Bullmann of Germany. "If we allow a competent and democratically elected candidate like Frans Timmermans to be rejected by Salvini, Orbán and Co, precisely because he defended the fundamental values of the EU, it testifies to the poverty of our community and will be a lasting blow to citizens' confidence in the EU", he denounced.
On the Greens/EFA side, there was also a lot of talk, like the French MEP Yannick Jadot, who spoke of a "mediocre" agreement. "A mediocre casting, a pathetic arrangement between Merkel EPP, Macron Liberals and Sanchez Socialists. A defeat for Europe and for democracy. Will the European Parliament accept this humiliation or will it vote (this Wednesday) (Greens/EFA Co-President) Ska Keller to chair it?", the elected official asked on his Twitter account.
The two co-chairs of the group, Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts, have also denounced a bad agreement and have already indicated that the 75 members of the group would vote against this agreement, which does not respect the 'lead candidate' process or the result of the European elections.
"Parliament must decide on its presidency independently of European governments and not rely on a poorly prepared compromise in the (European) Council. That is why we strongly support our candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament, Ska Keller. Parliament should not let the (European) Council dictate its presidency", said Philippe Lamberts.
"The (European) Council wants to appoint the German Defence Minister to prepare Europe for war", commented the French GUE/NGL delegation in a statement, indicating that its deputies will oppose the package.
The vice-president of the ID group, Nicolas Bay, considered that "these small agreements between friends clearly (showed) a system and European institutions that are totally out of breath", with personalities, for the most part, unknown to the people and a continuity in the Commission with the policy led by Jean-Claude Juncker "forever more free trade and opening borders to migrants".
The debate, on Thursday 4 July in the Parliament plenary session, on the outcome of the European summit in the presence of the Presidents of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the EU Council, Donald Tusk, promises to be lively. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana and Solenn Paulic)