EU Leaders Confirm Ursula von der Leyen For Second Term, Kaja Kallas as Foreign Policy Chief in Late-Night Deal.
By Timibra Ken-Peretei
European Union leaders reached a late-night agreement on the top positions within the EU institutions, nominating Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as Head of the European Commission and selecting Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the new foreign policy chief. The decision came after overcoming resistance, notably from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Antonio Costa, former Portuguese Prime Minister, was appointed to lead the European Council.
Expressing satisfaction with the outcome, current European Council chair Charles Michel declared, “Mission accomplished! The European Council has delivered,” following the summit in Brussels early on Friday.
All three nominees belong to the centrist alliance dominant in the EU parliament. While Costa will automatically succeed Michel later this year, von der Leyen and Kallas must secure the legislature’s approval to assume their roles. The confirmation vote, scheduled for July, is expected to be closely contested following recent far-right gains in EU elections.
Von der Leyen expressed gratitude to EU leaders for their support and outlined plans for her political priorities to garner parliamentary confidence. Costa, committed to fostering unity among member states, emphasized the EU’s resilience amid global challenges.
Accepting her new role, Kallas acknowledged the weight of responsibility during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions. “There are conflicts in Europe and growing global instability, which constitute the primary challenges for European foreign policy,” she remarked.
Despite broad support from EU leaders, Meloni abstained from voting on von der Leyen and opposed Costa and Kallas, citing electoral sentiments. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also opposed von der Leyen and refrained from supporting Kallas.
The composition of the leadership slate had been largely settled beforehand by a select group of leaders, contrasting with the contentious process in 2019 that saw von der Leyen’s emergence from behind-the-scenes negotiations. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised the decisive and forward-looking decisions on leadership, noting their significance for positioning Europe amidst forthcoming challenges.
