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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he believes a decision on Brussels’ top jobs — including a re-confirmation of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission chief — will come swiftly, echoing similar words by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Decisions will now be made very quickly on the most important posts that need to be filled in Europe in order for the European Union to be able to act,” Scholz said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy. POLITICO is owned by Axel Springer.
EU leaders are gathering in Brussels on Monday for an informal summit to discuss EU top jobs, including the next European Commission president, European Council president and foreign policy chief.
They are expected to reach an informal decision on Monday, before sealing the deal during the next European Council summit on June 27-28.
According to Scholz, “everyone agrees that we will quickly decide all these issues in one go.” Earlier this week, Macron had also said he believed EU talks could deliver a decision on Brussels’ top jobs in the coming week.
Von der Leyen is tipped to secure a second mandate following the electoral success of her center-right European People’s Party in this month’s European election.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTION RESULTS
Updating. Based on provisional results and national estimates.
| Group | Seats | Change | Seats % |
|---|---|---|---|
|
European People's Party
|
190 |
+14
|
26.4 % |
|
Socialists and Democrats
|
136 |
-3
|
18.9 % |
|
Renew
|
80 |
-22
|
11.1 % |
|
Conservatives and Reformists
|
76 |
+7
|
10.6 % |
|
Identity and Democracy
|
58 |
+9
|
8.1 % |
|
Greens
|
52 |
-19
|
7.2 % |
|
Left
|
39 |
+2
|
5.4 % |
|
Nonaligned
|
89 |
+27
|
12.4 % |
Scholz, who has not publicly endorsed von der Leyen, said that “there is every indication that Ursula von der Leyen will be able to serve a second term” following the election.
“As you know, the government I lead has made this possible in its own coalition agreement,” Scholz said. “In this respect, I believe it is now a matter of bringing everything together very quickly and coherently. And we will succeed,” he said.
The German leader also hinted that von der Leyen should steer clear of alliances with far-right parties.
Talking about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who hosted this week’s G7 summit in Puglia, Scholz said “it’s no secret” that she is “on the extreme right of the political spectrum.” There are “political differences which are quite obvious and which also mean that we work in very different party families,” he added.
“And when it comes to Europe, for example, I think it is very important that the future president of the Commission can rely on the traditional democratic parties in the European Parliament, i.e. the conservatives who are part of the European People’s Party, the social democrats and the liberals,” Scholz said. “And after the election results in Europe, that might work out.”
While a nod of approval from EU leaders is becoming more likely, to secure a second mandate von der Leyen will also need the support of a majority in the European Parliament — at least 361 out of the 720 MEPs. If EU leaders reach an agreement on top jobs at the end of the month, the Parliament could vote as early as July 18 to elect the next president of the European Commission.
