Following the discussions that began at the informal European summit on 17 June (see EUROPE 13433/1), negotiators from the Christian Democrat (EPP), Social Democrat (S&D) and centre-right (Renew Europe) political families have reached agreement on the three top European posts to be filled at the start of the 2024-2029 institutional cycle, according to several sources on Tuesday 25 June.
They will propose to the EU27 that they nominate, by a super-qualified majority of Member States: - German Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission; - Portuguese Socialist António Costa as President of the European Council; - Estonian Liberal Kaja Kallas as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
If the European Council nominates her at the end of the week, Ms von der Leyen will then have to be elected by an absolute majority of MEPs, i.e. 361 votes in 2024. According to the European Parliament’s latest projection, the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe groups have a total of almost 400 votes.
The Christian Democrats are also laying claim to the presidency of the European Parliament, which will once again be held by Roberta Metsola from Malta.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, criticised the agreement between the three political families, saying it sows “the seeds of division”. “EU top officials should represent every Member State, not just leftists and liberals”, he said, via X. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)