BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders will debate coverage objectives for the following 5 years from defence to the economic system, and who to position in high EU jobs, once they convene in Brussels on Monday.
The casual assembly would be the first leaders gathering because the European Parliament election, which proved good for the centre-right and right-wing nationalists, however humiliating for French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The leaders are to debate who ought to be the following presidents of the European Fee and European Council, and the international coverage chief, however their minds appear already made up.
Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen is in prime place to safe a second time period as head of the EU govt, buoyed by positive factors for her centre-right European Folks’s Get together.
13 of the 27 EU leaders are from events belonging to the EPP. With French and German help too, she would have the certified majority she requires to be nominated.
France had beforehand weighed alternate options to von der Leyen, however with a snap parliamentary election referred to as by Macron from June 30, the federal government now prefers EU stability.
Former Portugal Prime Minister António Costa is about to develop into the following president of the European Council, which might see the socialist chair summits from December.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a liberal, is then in line to be nominated excessive consultant for international affairs, guaranteeing a balanced geographical and political unfold of jobs throughout the bloc.
The leaders’ are as a consequence of affirm their decisions at an EU summit on June 27-28. Von der Leyen would nonetheless then want backing from the European Parliament, which votes in its first session from July 16.
The complete 27-member Fee, together with the international coverage chief, additionally wants parliamentary help.
EU leaders are additionally anticipated to debate the following five-year legislative cycle, with a stress on widespread values, defence and financial competitiveness. They’re as a consequence of affirm their “strategic agenda” steering on the end-June summit.
The leaders ought to shortly have a report by Mario Draghi, former Italian premier and president of the European Central Financial institution, on boosting the EU’s financial prospects. In a speech on Friday, he mentioned the bloc wanted cheaper power and a capital markets union to steer non-public financial savings in the direction of funding.
(This story has been corrected to repair the primary identify of former Portuguese prime minister to ‘António’, from ‘Alberto’, in paragraph 7)
