EU leaders select new leadership, pending confirmation in the European Parliament

(Patria) - European Union leaders have selected German Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission, reports Politico.eu.

At the meeting in Brussels, national leaders also selected Portugal's Antonio Costa and Estonia's Kaja Kallas for the top positions in the European Council and the EU's foreign policy service (EEAS), respectively.

On Tuesday, six negotiators from the three main centrist political groups approved von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas for these roles. On Thursday, the other leaders also supported these decisions.

Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made it clear to other leaders that she was angry at being left out of the negotiations, given that her political group in the European Parliament is now the third largest after the European elections in June. On Thursday evening, she abstained from supporting von der Leyen's second term and voted against Costa and Kallas.

Now von der Leyen faces a potentially uncertain vote in the European Parliament. That vote could take place as early as July 18.