EU strengthens key leadership positions

Current President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that European Union (EU) leaders on June 27 signed an agreement to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission.

Also as part of the agreement reached at the EU Summit in Brussels, former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was chosen as President of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was nominated to take over as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from Josep Borrell.

In a social media post, Prime Minister Kallas said EU leaders had given her “a huge responsibility at a time of geopolitical tension.” “War in Europe, growing instability in our neighbourhood and globally are the main challenges for European foreign policy,” the Estonian leader wrote.

Meanwhile, Mr. Costa has vowed to work to promote unity among the 27 EU member states. In his new role, the former Portuguese prime minister, a centre-left figure, will have to mend the rift between heads of state and government in a Europe divided by the rise of the far right. Mr. Costa expressed his desire to work closely with Ms. von der Leyen and Ms. Kallas “in a spirit of sincere cooperation between European institutions.”

Both von der Leyen and Kallas will need to be approved by the European Parliament in a secret ballot, while Costa’s nomination only needs the approval of EU leaders. The former Portuguese prime minister will take up his new post on 1 December 2024.

The new leadership line-up represents continuity for the bloc, with moderate pro-EU factions holding top positions despite the rise of the far-right in European Parliament elections earlier this month.

Although all three figures have received widespread support from European leaders, diplomatic sources revealed that Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained on von der Leyen's nomination and voted against Kallas's nomination.