It took the leaders of the European Union an hour to agree on the next leadership of the EU institutions: Ursula von der Leyen of the center-right EPP to chair the European Commission, the socialist Antonio Costa to head the EU Council and the liberal Kaja Kallas to be the new EU foreign policy chief.
Von der Leyen’s final mission is to obtain a simple majority (361 votes) through a secret ballot in the 720-seat European Parliament, reports Euractiv.
The pro-European coalition (EPP, S&D, Renew) currently has 399 votes, which is theoretically enough for her election. However, not all of these MEPs, including her own centre-right political family, are expected to vote for her.
Therefore, she will have to seek votes from both the left and the right.
On the right, she has the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), led by Italian leader Giorgia Meloni. Frustrated by her isolation from the top positions, the hard-right politician abstained from voting for Von der Leyen at yesterday’s EU summit.
On the left, she has the Greens, a seemingly safer option because socialists and liberals don’t want Von der Leyen to work with the hard right.
