In the wake of the European election, an early consensus emerged around Germany’s von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission president, Portugal’s António Costa as European Council president, Malta’s Roberta Metsola as the European Parliament boss and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as foreign policy chief.
After Macron’s party was trounced by the far right in the election, his decision to dissolve the French parliament and call snap a election had seemingly sped up discussions on top jobs. Typically, negotiations take weeks.
In recent weeks, other European leaders also stressed the need for continuity given Russia’s war in Ukraine and the potential return of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
But hopes of a quick deal evaporated Monday night as the European People’s Party, the winner of the European Parliament election, asked for more concessions and more power among the top jobs roles. As expected, the EPP wanted to reappoint von der Leyen and Metsola, both of whom belong to the political family. In addition, the EPP proposed to the socialists that the European Council president’s term be split into two 2.5-year chunks — and the EPP would get one of them.
This, in turn, irked the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), who were hoping to clinch the job for Costa. And soon after talks stalled, the blame game started.
“This was partly hubris from the EPP,” an EU official said. “By asking to have a mandate for only 2.5 years it created a huge perception problem with [socialists], who would be put in a difficult position. The EPP did not play this one well. This will be difficult to solve.”
