In the European Parliament elections held this month, right-wing parties in EU countries achieved strong results. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a right-wing group led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is expected to become the third largest group in the European Parliament.
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However, Meloni was snubbed by EU officials and other major party groups, and was excluded from closed-door meetings in the EU to discuss candidates for the highest office.
According to an article in the British "Financial Times" on June 19, six EU leaders, including French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz, held a closed-door meeting on the 17th to try to reach an agreement on the candidate for the position EU summit. But the closed-door meeting excluded the European coalition of conservatives and reformists and did not invite Meloni to participate.
Meloni, whose coalition of European conservatives and reformists is seeking to take over the EU's top job in the next five years, expressed disappointment at the move.
However, EU diplomats issued a "strong statement", insisting that Meloni had "misjudged the situation" and that the far-right group she led had failed to become a member of the majority coalition and would not will have a "seat" at the negotiating table.
EU leaders reportedly held an informal dinner on the 17th to discuss a potential deal to nominate von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission, as well as the appointment of other senior positions. But before the dinner began, the leaders of France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland and Greece met privately behind closed doors to agree on nominations for the EU's three most important posts.
The six leaders discussed issues relating to the re-election of von der Leyen, as well as the appointment of former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the next President of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Karas as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and security policy. .
However, Italian Prime Minister Meloni was excluded from the closed-door meeting, sparking his anger. "I find it incredible that some people propose candidates for top positions without first thinking about what the signal is coming from citizens and how to adjust priorities," Meloni said.
Meloni said she would ask Italy to play the "top-level role" in EU institutions. "Now everyone knows what Italy's role is... This country now has the most stable government."
Meloni believes that the results of the European Parliament elections show that the EU's center of gravity is shifting to the right and that there will be "significant changes" in the way the new European Parliament handles some policies. You have said that you are working to organize an alternative to the left bloc and are negotiating with other factions in the European Parliament to reach a consensus on various issues.
The European Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists recently said that the number of seats controlled by this group in the European Parliament exceeds that of Macron's Renewal Europe party, and is expected to become the third largest group in the European Parliament and compete for the position highest in the European Union Parliament.
According to the preliminary results of the European Parliament elections updated by the European Union on the 19th, among the 720 seats in the European Parliament, the European People's Party led by European Commission President von der Leyen is still the largest party, obtaining 190 seats. The Social Democrats are in second place with 136 seats. The European Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists has grown to 83 seats, overtaking Renewal Europe, which has 80.
European Parliament election results updated by EU19
But EU diplomatic officials firmly rejected Meloni, saying she and the far-right group would not have a seat at the negotiating table. One diplomatic official said it was a mistake to upset Meloni at the dinner, that she is influential enough to push for the appointment of an EU High Commissioner, but that she cannot participate in negotiations on the three main EU posts.
The official said, "She [Meloni] misjudged the situation, it is a political reality that the coalition of European conservatives and reformists is not part of the majority."
A Renewal Europe party official revealed that the party group is negotiating with other potential political allies and is expected to ultimately control more than 80 seats: "This is just the current situation. We will form a political alliance before July 4. Then we'll know who the third largest group is."
The European People's Party has also said it intends to continue its alliance with the Social Democrats and Renewal Europe to secure von der Leyen's re-election. These three parties have more than 400 seats in the European Parliament. An EPP official said: "Increasing the seats of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists will not change anything. The majority party alliance still has 55% support."
Both the Social Democrats and the Party for a Renewed Europe (PRE) have previously stated that they recognize the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists as a far-right force and do not want to negotiate with the group.
The June 17 dinner was the first gathering of EU leaders since the reorganization of the European Parliament, but three EU diplomatic officials told Politico that the 27 EU leaders failed to reach a consensus on supporting von der Leyen's re-election at the dinner. The news was later confirmed by European Council President Michel.
The President of the European Commission is the equivalent of the EU "Prime Minister", nominated by the European Council, the nominee can be passed with the support of the majority of the European Parliament. The European Parliament introduced the "leading candidate" system in 2014, that is, the European Council should nominate the "leading candidate" of the first largest party group in the European Parliament to be the President of the European Commission. In addition, this nomination also needs to be recognized by the EU member states, especially France and Germany and other European leaders.
Last week in Italy, the Group of Seven (G7) summit, France, Germany and Italy, the leaders of the three countries have expressed tacit approval of the re-election of von der Leyen. Macron said on June 15 that he believed an agreement would be reached at the dinner on the evening of the 17th; German Chancellor Schulz expressed the same view, saying he believed that a decision on the top job would be made soon; and Melloni said she believed that the European People's Party had the right to "propose a Commission President".
EU leaders are expected to return to the Brussels summit on June 27-28 to discuss candidates for key European leadership positions over the next five years. A vote in the European Parliament in mid-July will ultimately decide on the appointment of a new Commission president, and if von der Leyen wants to be re-elected, she will need the support of at least 361 of the 720 MEPs.
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