With France and Germany at odds over not just the candidates but the rules of the job search itself, a Tuesday deadline to choose the head of the European Parliament has given urgency to a task that could otherwise drag on for months, diplomats said.
Up for grabs are the presidencies of the EU’s executive Commission, the parliament, the European Council of EU governments, the EU’s foreign policy chief and the head of the European Central Bank, which governs the euro currency.
“What we’re looking for is a team which has legitimacy, energy, is competent and has the support of the Council and European Parliament,” France’s European Affairs State Minister Amelie de Montchalin said.
“But if we enter into this discussion with our national flags, in a competition of nationalities, we lose the European spirit,” she told the Anglo-American Press Association of Paris.
Facing accusations of being out of touch with citizens, European lawmakers have sought to line up the best performers in May’s European Parliament elections for most of the top jobs. Under that plan, German center-right EU lawmaker Manfred Weber would take the European Commission presidency, as the European People’s Party won the most seats in that vote.
But France’s President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the “Spitzenkandidat” system supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who for her part has refused to give it up.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez suggested starting from scratch after an inconclusive second attempt at a summit earlier in June. Many governments want a balance of men and women and to avoid the top jobs going to members of Western EU governments.
