EU Leaders Rally Behind Ursula von der Leyen for Second Term

European Union leaders have agreed to endorse Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission, alongside other key appointments, ahead of an important EU summit. This decision follows negotiations between six European Union leaders acting as negotiators from main European political parties.

Reports from DPA and Handelsblatt indicate that Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is set to be appointed as the EU’s foreign policy chief, while former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa is likely to become President of the European Council for an initial term of two and a half years.

The negotiations were led by representatives of the European People’s Party, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Social Democrats were represented by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, while liberals relied on French President Emmanuel Macron and outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Despite this agreement among EU leaders, Ursula von der Leyen’s reelection as Commission President still requires majority approval in the European Parliament.