EU leaders differ on candidate for European Commission Presidency

BRUSSELS, June 20 (KUNA) - European Union leaders, who make up the European Council, are to begin a crucial meeting later Thursday to discuss the new EU leadership positions.
But no decision is expected today due to strong differences among them over the candidate for the post of the European Commission President.
"Today we'll listen to the report by the president (Tusk of the European Council) and then continue step by step. It is important to respect the opinion of the Council and European Parlaiment. I cannot support a Council proposal which the EP will not support," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters ahead of the summit.
"We need a common solution," she said and added that there could be no decision today. French president Emmanuel Macron rejected the so-called Spitzenkandidaten process, whereby the strongest party in the European Parliament emerging from the European elections should get the commission presidency, as a "fiction." "There isn't a European democratic legitimacy so I think we need to escape from this trap," he said, adding that the EU leaders might not agree on a name on Thursday .
"We have to find joint solutions. We have to find people who have the competences, ambition and credibility. I will support the strongest persons in this regard," Macron added.
On his part, President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said "for the European Parliament it is important to defend the Spitzenkandidaten process because it is more democratic." "The European Peoples' Party proposed its leader Manfred Weber a spitzenkandidat, the winner of the European elections," he added.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he will support Weber as the candidate for the presidency of the European Commission .
"It is our view that as the largest party in European Parliament the presidency of the European Commission should go to Manfred Weber," he said but added that they will not be able elect a new candidate today and there has to be another EU summit. The new European parliament will convene in Strasbourg on 1 July.
Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, said two groups in the EP will not vote for Weber. "I want to know who will be the candidate with the biggest support from here and the European Parliament. We cannot afford to have an additional crisis. For the moment the most important thing will be the priorities of the future President of the European Commission," he added.
EU leaders have to decide on the four top positions: the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Central Bank and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as their term ends in October.
EU leaders will also discuss today the EU's strategic agenda for 2019-2024. The strategic agenda is used to plan the work of the European Council, and provides the basis for the work programmes of the other EU institutions.
They will also discusses climate change ahead of the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit on 23 September. (end) nk.rk