EU leaders agree on key positions despite divided vote

Leaders of European Union countries have agreed on the appointment of key EU positions. Ursula von der Leyen will be re-elected as the President of the European Commission for a second term. Antonio Costa will be the President of the European Council, and Kaja Kallas will be the Head of EU Diplomacy.

On Thursday, shortly before midnight, the leaders of the 27 EU countries decided to distribute the highest number of EU offices. Ursula von der Leyen will remain the President of the European Commission, Portuguese Antonio Costa will be the President of the European Council, and Estonian Kaja Kallas will be the Head of EU Diplomacy.

However, the new leaders were not elected unanimously at the European Council meeting. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed their opposition at the summit. Meloni opposed Costa, while Orban opposed von der Leyen. The Italian Prime Minister abstained from the vote on von der Leyen.

The President of the European Commission is elected by the heads of state and government in the European Council. According to the treaty, the candidate must secure a qualified majority, meaning support from at least 15 member countries. The European Parliament must also approve the new president.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has already spoken out following the decisions at the EU summit. "Kaja, Ursula and Antonio accepted. Defence plans accepted. Satisfaction. For Poland and for Europe," wrote the head of the Polish government on platform X.

The new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, also posted a comment. "As President of the European Council from 1 December, I will be fully committed to promoting unity among the 27 member states and will focus on implementing the strategic programme that has been approved today and will guide the European Union for the next five years," he declared.