This Thursday and Friday, in Brussels, the heads of State and Government must endorse the distribution of the Union’s senior positions. Everything seems done, but in the agreement of grand coalition announced this past Tuesday, one detail was missing: the Portuguese socialist Antonio Costa He will only be given half a term at the head of the European Council. The European People’s Party has managed to get the socialists and liberals to accept the arrangement to leave the summit with a unit image.
This is confirmed to this newspaper by European sources involved in the negotiation. “Everything remains open, waiting to see what EU we have at the end of 2026“.
The reality is that this is what the Treaties establish: the Commission is elected for five years, like the High Representative; but not the presidency of the Parliament or the presidency of the European Council. And it is to these Regulations that the EPP negotiators have tied themselves, the Greek Kyriákos Mitsotakis and the polish Donald Tuskto impose the power of the only major formation that has increased in seats on 9-J.
In fact, that traditional centrist and European coalition of Christian Democrats, Liberals (Renew) and Social Democrats (S&D) has managed resist the wave of the extreme right thanks to the advance of the EPP (especially thanks to the Spanish PP). The other two groups have fallen in support and MEPs.
Already at the first informal leaders’ dinner, the week after the elections, it was clear that the popular party looked strong enough to turn the screw. By order of their leader, Manfred WeberMitsotákis and Tusk informed the Spanish Pedro Sanchez and to German Olaf Scholz (S&D) and French Emmanuel Macron and to Dutch Mark Rutte (Renew) that The EPP would not agree to confirm Costa’s five years.
Parliament and Council 2026
“The Regulations of the Council and that of the European Parliament speak of a presidency of two and a half years,” points out this source. “There is nothing written that says those who will be there should stay as long”.
So, like the Maltese Roberta Metsola He “has more than done” to renew his position in the European Parliament and at the end of 2026, when he turns five years old, he should leave his position.
“That second shift will be for a socialist“, explains another high-ranking source in Brussels, “that is already accepted”… so the EPP has managed to impose that it is also examined at that time Whether Costa should follow or make way for another popular leader.
Would it be too much power in the hands of the centre-right? After all, the EPP would be left with the first and second most important positions in the institutions. But, if not, with Costa renewed and a socialist at the head of Parliament, The winning party of the elections would be at an “illogical” disadvantage…or so their leaders say they see it.
The reality is that the EPP has known how to play its cards well in these weeks after 9-J, with its sights set on having a free hand to renegotiate everything in two and a half years. “In the Council we do not normally vote, and in Parliament we do, secretly”, explains one of the cited sources, “that’s the difference.” And that is what the EPP will play with.
Precedents and “consensus”
The reality is that, in the last legislature, the Belgian liberal Charles Michel, the current outgoing president, no one questioned him when, at the end of 2021, he had to undergo re-election. And he had already had serious clashes with several leaders and, above all, with Ursula von der Leyenthe president of the community executive.
It should also be said that, in those years, the leadership of the socialist group was very divided. Nobody completely understood that in the distribution, S&D chose the position of High Representative, except because the person designated for the position was the Spaniard Josep Borrell, which generated a great consensus. But later, Germans and Italians harshly criticized him during the legislature the “little ability” of the Spanish Iratxe García for the negotiating strategy.
The Portuguese socialist Costa was already the favorite a long time ago. Last March, at the European PP congress in Bucharest he was hailed as a “man of consensus” and it was already taken for granted in the circles of leaders that he was “the best choice”.
The mere idea that Sánchez would finally enter the race raised doubts. “And problems,” explained one of the vice-presidents of the centre-right party at the time. “If the socialists bet on him, there will be problems”because no one forgot (least of all Weber himself) the scandal last December in the European Parliament.
As time passed, when it was seen that the Spanish socialist did not finally move his candidacy, the distribution between Von der Leyen, Costa and the Estonian liberal Kaja Kallas as Borrell’s successor, it already seemed consensual. Pending the final election results, of course.
And finally, given that the extreme right has not advanced as much as the pro-Europeans feared, and that among them, only the EPP has emerged strengthened from the polls, the popular ones have “won.” Sánchez, Scholz, Macron and Rutte have had to accept, for the moment, that “the chosen one” Costa is under scrutiny from day one.
Add Comment