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Momentum grows for quick von der Leyen deal ahead
of Monday summit
EU leaders meet on Monday to discuss top Brussels jobs
in the wake of the European election.
JUNE 15,
2024 5:13 PM CET
BY CLAUDIA
CHIAPPA AND JAN PHILIPP BURGARD
German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he believes a decision on Brussels’ top jobs —
including a re-confirmation of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission
chief — will come swiftly, echoing similar words by French President Emmanuel
Macron.
“Decisions
will now be made very quickly on the most important posts that need to be
filled in Europe in order for the European Union to be able to act,” Scholz
said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets on the sidelines of the
G7 summit in Italy. POLITICO is owned by Axel Springer.
EU leaders
are gathering in Brussels on Monday for an informal summit to discuss EU top
jobs, including the next European Commission president, European Council
president and foreign policy chief.
They are
expected to reach an informal decision on Monday, before sealing the deal
during the next European Council summit on June 27-28.
According
to Scholz, “everyone agrees that we will quickly decide all these issues in one
go.” Earlier this week, Macron had also said he believed EU talks could deliver
a decision on Brussels’ top jobs in the coming week.
Von der
Leyen is tipped to secure a second mandate following the electoral success of
her center-right European People’s Party in this month’s European election.
Scholz, who
has not publicly endorsed von der Leyen, said that “there is every indication
that Ursula von der Leyen will be able to serve a second term” following the
election.
“As you
know, the government I lead has made this possible in its own coalition
agreement,” Scholz said. “In this respect, I believe it is now a matter of
bringing everything together very quickly and coherently. And we will succeed,”
he said.
The German
leader also hinted that von der Leyen should steer clear of alliances with
far-right parties.
Talking
about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who hosted this week’s G7 summit
in Puglia, Scholz said “it’s no secret” that she is “on the extreme right of
the political spectrum.” There are “political differences which are quite
obvious and which also mean that we work in very different party families,” he
added.
“And when
it comes to Europe, for example, I think it is very important that the future
president of the Commission can rely on the traditional democratic parties in
the European Parliament, i.e. the conservatives who are part of the European
People’s Party, the social democrats and the liberals,” Scholz said. “And after
the election results in Europe, that might work out.”
While a nod
of approval from EU leaders is becoming more likely, to secure a second mandate
von der Leyen will also need the support of a majority in the European
Parliament — at least 361 out of the 720 MEPs. If EU leaders reach an agreement
on top jobs at the end of the month, the Parliament could vote as early as July
18 to elect the next president of the European Commission.
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