TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR will be meeting other EU leaders in Brussels today for a special meeting of the European Council to discuss who will succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission.
Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee will accompany the Taoiseach.
President of the European Council Donald Tusk has convened this meeting so that leaders can focus on who should be appointed to the role – with no clear majority for any one candidate.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her countryman and party colleague Manfred Weber “naturally” had her support. Weber is the choice of the centre-right European People’s Party, which is Fine Gael’s European grouping, and remains the biggest bloc in the European Parliament despite losing some 40 seats in the election.
But he is seen as short on charisma, has no executive experience and is opposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has listed centre-left pick Frans Timmermans, EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager as suitable candidates.
At the G20 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she expected one of the two “lead candidates” for European Commission president to win the position, sparking rumours that compromise could be found in the Dutch candidate, Timmermans.
Tusk tweeted out a picture of him and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte this afternoon.
The process
A number of high level positions in the EU institutions fall to be replaced in the months ahead. Different rules apply to the appointments to the various roles.
The European Parliament will elect its own President, and the European Council have already agreed that the appointment of the President of the European Central Bank should be handled separately.
A candidate for President of the Commission, however, must be proposed by a qualified majority in the European Council and then elected by an absolute majority in the European Parliament.
There was no majority for any candidate at the last meeting on 20 June, and the Council agreed to meet again today to resume the discussions.
It was agreed that compromises will be needed in order to achieve the necessary gender, political, geographic and demographic balance, a statement from the Taoiseach’s office said.
Leaders are to arrive from 5pm this evening, and will discuss the candidates over a working dinner from 6.30pm. The schedule notes that if necessary, the meeting may continue with a breakfast tomorrow.
A press conference will be held following the conclusion of discussions.
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