Ursula Von der Leyen, the lead candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP) for the presidency of the European Commission, speaks at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, June 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)
The six leaders from three main centrist groups also agreed to the package that would see former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa to become president of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas the EU foreign policy chief.
BRUSSELS, June 25 (Xinhua) — Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen is poised for a second term as president of the European Commission after European political leaders reached a consensus on Tuesday, according to reports from multiple media outlets.
Quoting officials from the European Union (EU), Politico said the agreement was reached among six EU leaders. They are Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Then Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa delivers a speech during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government at the Ajuda palace in Lisbon, Portugal, March 30, 2022. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)
The six leaders from three main centrist groups also agreed to the package that would see former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa to become president of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas the EU foreign policy chief.
The leaders from EU member states are set to approve the deal at the upcoming EU summit in Brussels which will start on Thursday.
Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas attends a speacial meeting of the European Council at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
However, the deal has faced criticism. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his disapproval on the social media platform X, saying the agreement promotes division rather than inclusion. “EU top officials should represent every member state, not just leftists and liberals!” he added.