European Council elected new leaders of main EU institutions
Ursula von der Leyen (photo: rbc.ua)
European Union leaders, at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 27, selected new heads for the bloc's main institutions, according to Deutsche Welle.
European Union leaders agreed on the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission.
Additionally, they approved the nomination of former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa for the position of President of the European Council. The EU also endorsed the nomination of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas for the role of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In her new role, she pledged to make the European Union an effective global partner.
The approval of all three nominations required the support of a so-called reinforced qualified majority. This is achieved by meeting two conditions simultaneously: at least 20 of the 27 member states (72%) must vote in favor of the proposal, representing at least 65% of the EU's population.
The intrigue persisted until the end of the first day of the summit, as the delicate topic of selecting leaders was postponed to the end of the agenda, following discussions on the war in Ukraine, EU defense and security issues, and the Middle East conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has stated that the EU needs €500 billion in defense investments over the next 10 years.
