President of the European Union

A European political drama unfolded into the early hours of Thursday morning, as the approval of all European Commissioners by the relevant European Parliament committees remained uncertain.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the next European Commission will include at least ten women. Initially, only four women were proposed by the member states, aside from von der Leyen herself and Kaja Kallas, who was already appointed as the EU's top diplomat.

As reported by Politico, Metsola aimed to cleanse the European Parliament’s image, which had been tarnished by successive scandals. In response to Qatargate in 2022, which involved Greek MEP Eva Kaili accused of accepting cash from the Qatari government to exert influence, Metsola decided that greater transparency was the best way to combat corruption.

EU leaders have nominated German Ursula von der Leyen for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission. At the Brussels summit, which concluded last night, they also selected Portugal's Antonio Costa as president of the European Council, and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will serve as the EU's new high representative for foreign policy.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that three political "families" have agreed to propose Ursula von der Leyen for President of the European Commission, António Costa for President of the European Council, and Kaja Kallas for the position of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, upon his arrival at the European Council leaders summit in Brussels on Thursday.

The delayed agreement on staffing top positions in the EU‘s institutions for the next five years has finally been reached, after causing reasonable concerns.

Leaders of European Union countries reached no final agreement on candidates for the bloc's top jobs Monday, but several praised the record of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and she appeared on track to secure their endorsement later this month for a second term in office.

Today, the center-right European People's Party (EPP) has shown strong support for Ursula von der Leyen to extend her tenure as the President of the European Commission for an additional five-year term.

The steps toward upgrading the European defense structure are outlined in a Kathimerini interview with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Specifically, she proposes integrating the existing European Peace Facility (EPF) into the European framework and advocates for the appointment of a commissioner for defense.

Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, has declared her intention to seek a second term in office. The announcement came during a meeting of her political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in Berlin. Von der Leyen emphasized that she enjoys the backing of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).