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European Council agrees on nominations for top EU jobs; new composition for ECON Committee

At a European Council meeting on 2 July, EU leaders agreed on who should fill top EU positions.

date:  11/07/2019

See alsoSpecial meeting of the European Council,...

At a European Council meeting on 2 July, EU leaders agreed on the nominations for the EU's top jobs. First, they adopted the decision proposing Ursula von der Leyen to the European Parliament as candidate for President of the European Commission. She will need to be elected by a majority of the Parliament. Leaders also elected Charles Michel as President of the European Council and President of the Euro Summit for the period from 1 December 2019 until 31 May 2022, a two-and-a-half-year mandate that is renewable once. The European Council also considered Josep Borrell Fontelles to be the appropriate candidate for High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, subject to the agreement of the President-elect of the Commission. The President of the Commission, the High Representative and the other members of the Commission will be subject as a body to a vote of consent by the European Parliament, before formal appointment by the European Council. Their term of office will last five years from the end of the current Commission until 31 October 2024. The European Council also considered Christine Lagarde to be the appropriate candidate for President of the European Central Bank (ECB) and will take a formal decision on the appointment on the basis of a Council recommendation, after consulting with the European Parliament and the ECB's Governing Council. The mandate for the President of the ECB is for 8 years non-renewable. The Members of the European Parliament elected David Sassoli (S&D/IT) as the President of the chamber. The ECON Committee of the European Parliament has seen important changes in its composition with 54% new MEPs joining. The new composition is: EPP members 14, S&D 13, RE 8, ID 6, Greens 5, ECR 5, GUE 3, NI 6. The previous ECON Chair Roberto Gualtieri (S&D/IT) has been re-elected by acclamation. Markus Ferber (EPP/DE) has been appointed coordinator for the EPP, while the coordinators of the other groups are still to be formally confirmed.