EU leaders have elected Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second term as president of the European Commission, Politico reports, citing six EU diplomats, UNN writes.
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At the meeting in Brussels, the leaders of the bloc also elected António Costa of Portugal and Kaja Kallas of Estonia to the highest positions in the European Council and the EU Foreign Service, respectively.
"The decision to appoint three experienced politicians to the EU's top posts was a seemingly safe bet by the leaders to preserve the power of their center-right coalition amid a stronger performance by the far right in France, Germany and other parts of the EU in the European elections," the newspaper points out.
It is noted that the leaders' statement came at a time when the European Union is surrounded by relative uncertainty on both sides: the upcoming elections in the UK, which are likely to see a change in political leadership for the first time in 14 years, and the continuation of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine for the third year.
And in the heart of the bloc, French President Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly announced early elections after the far right defeated his party in the June European elections.
At a press conference after the leaders' meeting, Kallas, the current Prime Minister of Estonia, said of the three: "We make a great team.
Speaking live from Lisbon, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said he was "delighted" to be part of a "team" with von der Leyen and Kallas.
On Tuesday, six negotiators from the three main European center-left political groups approved von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas for top posts. On Thursday, other leaders supported these decisions.
Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni made it clear to her colleagues that she was unhappy to be excluded from negotiations for the top job, given that her political grouping in the European Parliament is now the third largest after the June European elections. On Thursday night, she abstained from supporting von der Leyen's second term and voted against Costa and Kallas.
Later, she tweeted that she did not support the three candidates proposed for the top positions: "I have decided not to support this out of respect for the citizens and the guidance that came from those citizens during the election. We continue to work to finally give Italy the weight it deserves in Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban voted against Ursula von der Leyen's second term, abstained from voting for Kaja Kallas as EU foreign policy chief, and voted for Antonio Costa as president of the European Council, an EU diplomat said.
Von der Leyen now faces a tough vote in the European Parliament, which even her own party allies admit will be a difficult task. The vote could take place on July 18.