Officials elected to top EU jobs

European Union leaders on Thursday selected three officials to head the region’s body for the next five years, signalling the need for engagement and stability in Ukraine amid electoral turmoil in Europe and possibly the United States.

At a summit in Brussels, leaders of the EU’s 27 member states agreed to nominate German conservative Ursula von der Leyen for a second term to head the powerful European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm.

Antonio Costa, a socialist and until recently the prime minister of Portugal, was chosen as president of the European Council, which includes the leaders of 27 countries, to balance von der Leyen’s political and geographical background.

And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a hard-liner against Russia, was chosen as the EU’s top diplomat.

The selection of the three senior politicians, who have strong alliances with each other, is an effort by European Union leaders to put relatively centrist figures at the head of key institutions despite the rise of far-right political leaders such as Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and ultra-nationalist, nationalist parties such as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France.

Von der Leyen’s reappointment will face a stiff test in the European Parliament, the European Union’s only elected body. She will have to lobby to win a majority in the 720-seat parliament in a secret ballot scheduled for mid-July. Von der Leyen is in the center-right group that has the most power in parliament but is far from a majority.

European Commission: Second Term

Von der Leyen, 65, has positioned herself as the European Union’s unlikely wartime leader since 2019 as European Commission president, thrusting her into the international spotlight more than ever before in her German political career.

Von der Leyen, often referred to in political circles by her initials “VDL”, became a familiar figure in the European Union for leading the response to the coronavirus pandemic on behalf of member states, including through the joint purchase of vaccines and a joint bond stimulus package.

Her unwavering support for Ukraine in its war with Russia has been her latest trademark policy, and she has used the committee’s resources to push for funding for Ukraine’s weapons and reconstruction, as well as for its eventual membership in the European Union.

Von der Leyen is a strong advocate of strong ties between the U.S. and Europe and has quickly become one of the most trusted European leaders for President Biden and his administration. This close alliance was particularly evident in pushing for major sanctions against Russia following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

EU leaders nominating the officials signaled that despite some criticism they were pleased with how von der Leyen had mobilised the Commission’s tens of thousands of specialist staff and resources over the past five years to help the EU respond to major crises.

Von der Leyen has been criticized for being a workaholic who lives in a studio office on the 13th floor of the European Commission, for meddling in details and for alienating senior members of the commission. More recently, her seemingly uncritical support for Israel in the Gaza war has been criticized as not representing the position of the European Union as a whole. She has also been accused of not being open with the press or the public.

The New York Times has sued the commission in a freedom of information case seeking the release of messages exchanged between the commission and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations on the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine contract, even as the exact terms and cost of the multi-billion-dollar procurement, the biggest in EU history, remain secret.

Portugal’s former Socialist Prime Minister Costa (62) was elected president of the European Council, the body that brings together member governments to deliberate on the will of each country.

The job involves some tricky diplomacy, as the chair is tasked with coordinating and leading negotiations among 27 leaders from different political backgrounds, each one advocating for their own narrow national interests. Costa replaces Belgian politician Charles Michel. Costa’s term is for two-and-a-half years, renewable once.

Costa’s appointment came with the backing of the Social Democrats, the second-largest party in the European Parliament. Costa has a good relationship with von der Leyen and served as prime minister alongside her during her first term in office.

The appointment makes Costa, who is of Mozambican and Indian descent, the first person of colour to hold the top job at the European Union.

He has been in trouble domestically since his chief of staff was embroiled in corruption allegations last year, but he has not been accused of wrongdoing himself. He preemptively stepped down from that position after those allegations emerged in November 2023.

Leaders also selected Estonian Prime Minister Kallas as the EU’s top diplomat, replacing Josep Borrell Fontelles.

Borrell, a Spanish socialist, is known for his outspoken views, which has been either an asset or a liability during his time in office.

He has repeatedly voiced his support for a Palestinian state and criticized the way Israel has waged its war against Hamas.

But he also raised eyebrows when he described Europe as a “garden” and contrasted it with other parts of the world, which he called a “jungle.” The comments drew accusations of neo-colonialism and racism as Europe struggles to rally global support for Ukraine, in part due to the long shadow of colonialism.

The selection of Kallas as prime minister would send a strong message to Russia: The 47-year-old Kallas is a fierce critic of the Kremlin and one of the EU’s most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, having given up his post as prime minister to take up the new post.

The European Union does not have much diplomatic clout, as its member governments prefer to manage their own foreign policy rather than leave it to a collective center, but the EU’s position on Russia is significant. At the collective level, the EU also administers a significant set of sanctions against many countries around the world, including Iran and Russia.

Aurélien Breeden He contributed a report from Paris. Monica Plonczuk From Brussels.