Belgium: Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated for a second term as head of the European Commission, with Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, selected as foreign policy chief after European Union leaders reached a late-night agreement on the top roles within the institution.
The accord nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the chairman of the European Council, despite opposition from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Though Costa will automatically follow Michel this year, von der Leyen and Kallas must receive the legislature’s support to be confirmed in their roles. All three nominees are members of the centrist alliance that controls the EU parliament.
The vote is scheduled for July and is anticipated to be close following the far-right rise in this month’s elections.
Von der Leyen told reporters she would shortly lay out her political aims after expressing her “gratitude” to EU leaders for supporting her for a second term.
The leaders of the EU mostly supported the three, while diplomats said that Italy’s Meloni voted against Costa and Kallas and did not participate in the vote on von der Leyen. They stated that Viktor Orban, the hard-right prime minister of Hungary, voted against von der Leyen and did not vote for Kallas.
The nominees will “ensure that Europe is well-positioned in challenging times in the coming years,” according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who praised the “quick, forward-looking” decisions made on the top positions.
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