Brussels, The EU leaders have agreed on the future leadership of the bloc’s institutions, proposing German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to be the next European Commission President.
Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of Belgium, is elected to be the next President of the European Council, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, is nominated to be President of the European Central Bank.
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the Foreign Minister of Spain, is nominated to be the EU’s foreign policy chief.
Except Michel, other candidates would have to go through formalities to get on the job. Von der Leyen, who would be the first female European Commission President, is facing some resistance in the European Parliament which must vote to confirm her nomination, with several lawmakers saying earlier that she was unacceptable.
However, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, von der Leyen faced no opposition in the European Council, made up by leaders of the EU’s 28 member states.
“After all, Europe is a woman,” said Donald Tusk, current President of the European Council who chairs the leaders’ meeting.
