The big unknown in the European Council regarding the appointments of the next senior EU officials is what position Italy will have. Its prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, did not like that the agreement had been cooked up between the three traditional European political families (popular, social democrats and liberals) without taking into account the ultra-conservatives and, above all, without taking into account her. For this reason, this Thursday Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister and negotiator of the Popular Party, said as soon as he arrived in Brussels: “No one respects Meloni and Italy more than I do.” Less explicit, but also conciliatory, has been the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz: “We have reached a political agreement on the matter between these three families of parties. This is just a position. We will debate it carefully and fairly. The 27 Member States are equally important; that is important”.
The three political families of the great moderate coalition that has governed the Union since its founding reached an agreement last Tuesday so that in this European Council the German Ursula von der Leyen would be nominated as the next president of the European Commission, thus repeating the position. which he has held since 2019. This appointment would also require the ratification of the majority of the European Parliament. The one chosen to be high representative of Foreign and Security Policy, the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, from the liberal family, would also require confirmation from the European Parliament. Only the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, of the Socialists, designated as the next president of the European Council, does not need the parliamentary filter.
In theory, the numbers to make the decision in the European Council are sufficient, although a reinforced qualified majority is required: 20 countries that represent at least 65% of the population. The four countries that are governed by political forces that are not part of the three families that have reached the pact (Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) do not have enough strength to block the agreement. Diplomatic sources already pointed out this Wednesday that the Czechs were willing to abstain if their aspirations are taken into account in the next College of Commissioners. In the same position is Slovakia, which has already appointed the current vice president of the Commission, Maros Sefcovic, as its representative in the next Executive of the Union and would aspire to a portfolio with strong economic content.
But the same cannot be said of Hungary or Italy. “The European People’s Party has reached a coalition of lies with the left and the liberals. “We do not support this shameful agreement!”, attacked the Hungarian Prime Minister, the ultra-conservative Viktor Orbán, faithful to his traditional attitude on the social network
Much more measured are Meloni’s criticisms. In her speech in the Italian Congress and Senate prior to attending the European Council, the Italian Prime Minister said this Wednesday: “Someone in the European Council takes the floor and proposes who should occupy the highest positions after the negotiators of some parties have met and have established which names will occupy the other positions. First of all, it seems to me a lack of respect for citizens. Secondly, you usually start with what needs to be done. And then you look for the most suitable person for those objectives. That is why I have taken the liberty of disagreeing with how the naming game”.
This “game” has been managed by two negotiators in each political family who, in turn, are heads of government in their countries. For the popular ones, the Greek Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Polish Tusk have done it, hence it is especially significant that it was he, former president of the European Council and former leader of the European People’s Party, who launched that message aimed at convincing Meloni that they count with her: “I want to make it clear that no one respects Meloni and Italy more than me. I think there has been a misunderstanding. Sometimes we need specific political platforms to facilitate the process, but the final decision lies with Meloni and the rest of the leaders during the summit. There is no Europe without Italy nor decision without Meloni.”
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The other negotiators have been the still Dutch Prime Minister and future Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, from the liberal family. The socialists, for their part, have been the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez.
Sánchez, who has not attended this European Council due to the death of his father-in-law, has delegated the vote to Scholz. This delegation of voting is necessary because only the heads of Government are part of the European Council and no one from the Executive they lead can replace them.
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