Women picked for top EU jobs
European Union leaders have nominated two women to Brussels’ most important jobs for the first time, picking German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who supports a United States of Europe and an EU army, to be the next president of the European Commission, and Christine Lagarde to lead the European Central Bank.
Von der Leyen’s nomination is a victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will have succeeded in placing a member of her centre-Right European People’s Party at the top of the EU’s executive for the next five years from November 1.
French President Emmanuel Macron was persuaded to back von der Leyen in return for Lagarde, the French head of the International Monetary Fund, taking the presidency of the central bank.
Donald Tusk, the outgoing president of the European Council, had said the allocation of the EU top jobs had to reflect gender diversity.
Tusk yesterday dashed British Brexiteers’ hopes of renegotiating the Brexit deal past an October 31 deadline, which Brussels expects to be extended. ‘‘I am absolutely sure that the new leaders of our institutions will be as consistent as we are,’’ he said.
Von der Leyen has described Brexit as ‘‘a burst bubble of hollow promises by populists’’.
The appointments could still be derailed by the European Parliament, which is angry that EU leaders have jettisoned the Spitzenkandidat system, which ties the commission presidency to the results of the European elections. EU leaders have moved to reassert their sole right to choose the commission boss, and are confident that their choice will muster enough support in the parliament.