Brussels, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 28th Jun, 2024) Leaders appeared Thursday to be closing in on a deal carving up the European Union’s top jobs — earlier denounced as a stitch-up by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Hungary’s Viktor Orban.
Little mystery remained about the line-up: an inner group of leaders locked in a draft deal on three Names, tapping the current European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for five more years.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told reporters there was “absolutely no doubt” von der Leyen would get the nod, with several diplomats voicing hope of a deal by day’s end.
Heads of state and government were to tackle the crunch jobs over dinner — after an unexpected bout of wrangling over surprise French and German changes to a “strategic agenda” providing a roadmap for the incoming leadership.
“They asked for some 20 additional changes at the very last minute. Other leaders were not amused, to put it mildly,” said an EU diplomat.
Italy’s far-right prime minister had voiced outrage at being left out of the top jobs dealmaking, but one EU diplomat described her inputs so far as “very constructive”, with fellow leaders at pains to smooth ruffled feathers.
Hungary’s nationalist premier Orban staked out his ground on arrival, rejecting the “shameful” deal and saying “European voters have been deceived” — but his opposition alone would not scupper an accord.
Their complaint is that the agreement shares out posts among the alliance dominating the European Parliament — the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the centrist Renew Europe — who represent most but not all of the EU’s 27 leaders.
In addition to returning the EPP’s von der Leyen as commission chief, it taps former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa of the S&D as European Council president, and Renew’s Kaja Kallas, the Estonian premier, as the EU’s foreign policy high representative.
Kallas told reporters she did not want to “run ahead of decisions”.
“You know, surprises happen,” she said. “We have a saying in Estonian: ‘Don’t go and share the bear skin before the bear has been shot.'”
– Oligarchs –
With France heading to the polls Sunday for round one of an election where the far-right National Rally has a chance of leading the government, there was clear eagerness to get the EU jobs squared away.
Endorsed by six leaders — including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron — the jobs deal needs buy-in from a weighted majority of 15 EU leaders.
“The clear hope, of course, is that everyone will support this proposal,” said Scholz.
But even with the centrists in a position of strength, diplomats said there was little appetite for railroading through a deal without a consensus — especially since von der Leyen faces a tight parliament vote on her nomination in July.
On the eve of the summit, Meloni had denounced a “surreal” deal that betrays the will of the European people, accusing fellow leaders of acting like “oligarchs”.
She argued that the election success of her hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping — set to be the EU parliament’s third largest force — as well as Italy’s standing as the bloc’s third biggest economy, should be reflected in the EU leadership.
But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk — who negotiated the deal for the EPP — sent a strong signal in her direction on arrival.
“There is no Europe without Italy, and there’s no decision without Prime Minister Meloni. It’s obvious,” he told reporters, with similarly conciliatory sounds coming from Greece and Cyprus.
The same message came from Austria’s centre-right leader, Karl Nehammer, who applauded Meloni’s “many good initiatives for the European Union and for security at our external borders.”
Von der Leyen meanwhile appeared to have Meloni in mind with an open letter to EU leaders saying she was open to examining calls for migrants to be processed in third countries — as Italy is already doing.
Short of a seat at the top table, Meloni has made clear she wants an influential role for Italy, starting with a vice-presidency in the next European Commission with a say over industry and agriculture.
Top jobs aside, the summit was a new chance to display a united front on Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, joined EU leaders to ink an accord on long-term security commitments, two days after Ukraine began formal membership negotiations.
While hailing the deal, Zelensky pointed to the need to take the “next steps” including on air defence, which was needed “urgently on the battlefield”.
