ČRo Plus | EU leaders discuss key positions. The favorites are von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas

On Monday 17 June, the leaders of the European Union Member States headed to Brussels for their first joint meeting after the European Parliament elections. They discussed the distribution of key posts at the head of the EU institutions - the President of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the likely distribution of forces for ČRo Plus.

The cards are basically dealt already. There is broad agreement among member states on the main trio of names – Ursula von der Leyen as the incumbent President of the European Commission, António Costa as the President of the European Council, and Estonian politician Kaja Kallas. This division of roles reflects the balance of power in the newly elected European Parliament, as it includes representatives from both the People's Party, Social Democrats, and Liberals. Moreover, it meets another criterion - geographical distribution of influence.

You can listen to the entire commentary here, starting around 14. minute.

Filip Křenek
Project Coordinator and Analyst