No majority for a new President of the European Commission – the staff of poker for the top jobs in the EU continues. The climate could be targets for 2050, the EU heads of state and government, not some boss.
A double Failure at the end of this EU-summit day. The commitment to climate neutrality by 2050 was on the agenda, but the necessary unanimity among the heads of state and government was missed. And in the case of the replacement of the top posts in the European Union, the Failure of Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron will be charged with: they could not agree on a joint staff solution. In ten days there will be another summit, and the second attempt, the complex power balance in European boardrooms to produce.
The battle for the top jobs
“There was no majority for one of the top candidates,” said Angela Merkel after the Meeting tersely. Thus, the three candidates in the European elections, the German Manfred Weber, the conservative European people’s party, the Danish Margrethe Vestager for the liberals and the Dutchman Frans Timmermans for the social Democrats, out of the game. None of them has a majority in the Parliament and the heads of government have made it clear that you are also in the Council, the consent is missing.
This large personnel carousel that is still pending in the EU every five years, a new President for the EU Commission, because the incumbent, Jean-Claude Juncker no longer occurs. At the same time the Parliament and the Council of governments choose a new President. In addition, the Post of the EU external representative, and the end of the year – perhaps the most important Job of all – the boss’s chair at the European Central Bank.
Manfred Weber would be the top candidate principle is actually the first choice for the office of President of the European Commission
For weeks, the names of candidates circulating in the press, with Manfred Weber, Chairman of the European people’s party in the European Parliament, made the strongest claim. It is according to the will of the Council, however, after decades of male domination of finally two women for the European Topjobs named. The heads of state and government had stipulated in advance. In addition, Eastern European countries must occur in the personal tableau, in addition to the EPP, social Democrats and Liberals to be satisfied, as well as North and South are taken into account.
And there are inevitable consequences of different constellations. If Germany gets to the crash of the candidacy of Manfred Weber was not the top post, is likely to run out of France empty. European Council President Donald Tusk said at the end of the session after midnight: “We need a (Personal)package, that the differences reflected in the EU.” Ideal occupation would be so because of the internal balance of a woman from a Eastern European country for the EU Commission. It is called especially since the world Bank Director and former EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva from Bulgaria.
What about the idea of the top candidates?
What is the private offices for distribution by the heads of state and government stands in the way, is in addition, since the last European election, the resulting claim of the Parliament, through its so-called leading candidates, the member countries an applicant a quasi-requirement. Although, according to the European treaties, the Council, the Commission President decides, he must vote with the Parliament.
Particularly intense, the EPP has pursued this Plan, and its Chairman, Manfred Weber before Christmas last year as a candidate to be nominated. Since then, Bayer has toured tirelessly through the main cities, and most recently in the election campaign by the EU member countries to look for support. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has always the leading candidate-process, and your party friend Weber. However, observers found often, their support seem a bit half-hearted. And you took now immediately distance.
How did it get From Manfred Weber ?
The Chancellor will not know for a long time, that the President of France, wants the German candidate. Not because he’s a Conservative, but because he was inexperienced, said Emmanuel Macron. Weber has never had a government office held, he wanted to but could someone negotiate with the “eye to eye”. And the rejection front against Bayern, with Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and other sufficiently large in order to make his success in the Council impossible.
In addition, a majority in the European Parliament lacks. The EPP has lost in the European election seats. She is still the strongest faction, but of the claim to the Post of President of the Commission is not mandatory. And the Macrons En-Marche-party strengthening of the liberal and the social Democrats have denied him the support.
Because of this stalemate in the Parliament, the Ball went back into the field of the governments. You need to dissolve the blockage, and a staff package to propose, that, in turn, is for the Parliament ‘ s approval. In this power struggle between the Council and the EP, the parliamentarians have lost the first round. For the top candidates-process, there is a new Chance, maybe at the next European elections.
Climate goal as a footnote
Not only in the question of Staff, there was no agreement, even in the case of the climate objective, nothing moved. Finally, Berlin was deflected and there was the hope that the EU to show unity and to the “climate neutrality by 2050” could commit. So that no one would be overwhelmed, had been watered down this target quite: National circumstances and the national energy mix should be taken into account. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron had at the Start of the meeting summoned, there will be a growing consensus to take ambitious decisions.
Emmanuel Macron (l), Donald Tusk and Angela Merkel
After several hours of discussion but it was not enough to reach an agreement. The European Union had to move the climate target 2050 in the footnote of the joint decision. In the Text there is a reference to the “Paris agreement” and at the bottom of the page, it is noted that the majority of EU countries would understand this as a climate neutrality by 2050.
The reason for this failure is mainly the resistance of the Polish government, which was supported by Hungary and the Czech Republic – the Visegrad-Front without Slovakia was. Climate protection organizations criticize this result is sharp: “The EU needs to fix that on the next Meeting prior to the UN summit in September. Otherwise, you will be wrote by one of the leaders in climate issues to be a loser”, CAN, the European climate action network. Greenpeace also reacts disappointed: “Merkel and Macron have not managed to convince Poland and to bring the others on Board.” And Ska Keller, a Green-group leader in the European Parliament, called it a shame that the heads of state and government not even managed to agree on this long-term goal.
The NGO “Friends of the Earth,” also criticized the fact that climate protection also in the Five-year Plan and in the next budget of the EU was poorly represented. Although recognised that Europe needs to act, but the heads of state and government should show more leadership, within the next few years against the collapse of the climate and the Ecosystem approach.
The only success in the negotiations at this Meeting: It has been agreed to extend sanctions against Russia because of the annexation of the Crimea and the Situation in Eastern Ukraine again a year and a half.