Ursula von der Leyen’s tenure as the President of the European Commission was given the green light for a second phase, despite some discord from Italy. The decision process, which was anticipated to be tense, was over in less than two hours. The majority of 27 EU leaders affirmed her candidacy.
Far quicker than anticipated, the Brussels summit originally envisaged for a two-day duration, concluded proceedings before the clocks struck midnight on day one. Amidst the debates about Middle East, Ukraine and investment in defence, the principal question hanging in the air was whether von der Leyen would gain the endorsement of member countries for another quintet of years.
Moving through other agenda points speedily, leaders of the EU shifted their focus to deciding upon key EU positions at approximately 9pm on Thursday. Vilified by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the decision making process for the next commission president began last week. von der Leyen as the head of European Commission, with next-in-line for EU foreign affairs chief being Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia, and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa taking up his new role as the President of the European Council, made up the well-publicised package.
This trio of treasured roles, divised by a select group of political leaders, was presented as a sealed deal to the remaining of the 27 leaders, causing ire in Meloni, seen as a figurehead of the hard-right in Europe. Meloni, feeling slighted and exhibiting her displeasure boldly in the prior week, strongly criticised the deal, calling it out as a backroom deal that turned a blind eye to the recent strong performance of uncontrollable right-wing parties in the European elections.
While Meloni wanted her discontent to be conspicuous, there was a widespread awareness that the negotiation of the agreement could have been handled more adroitly. The majority of EU leaders threw their weight behind von der Leyen’s second term, with Meloni withholding her vote and only Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban voting against.
The selection of Kallas as the impending head of foreign affairs is a testament to her widely recognised steadfast support for Ukraine, a stance that’s hardly unexpected considering Estonia’s proximity to the battlefront. However, the decision to nominate Costa as the upcoming president, tasked with leading EU summits, sparked questions due to his resignation from the Portuguese prime ministership last year amidst a far-reaching corruption scandal. While Costa has not personally been implicated, the scandal has cast a shadow. Despite this, his personal popularity amongst other leaders outweighed any concerns stemming from the domestic scandal.
Von der Leyen’s focus will now shift towards the European Parliament, where she needs to secure the majority vote of MEPs for her second term confirmation on July 18th.
Earlier, leader’s consensus was achieved on a statement urging Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice ruling to halt its assault on the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
Taoiseach Simon Harris communicated on Friday that increased EU backing is vitally needed to lend support to the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank. He emphasised the urgent requirement for concrete European leadership to support the Palestinian Authority, not only financially, but also in tangible ways. He highlighted the current support provided but stressed the dire urgency to ramp up assistance to maintain the Authority.
Harris voiced his belief that Gaza is being let down by the world, adding, “No one’s future generations will reflect on Europe’s stance on the Middle East and judge it as having been successful.”