Germany's Merkel urges timely decision on EU top jobs

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on European leaders to reach a compromise decision on the top EU jobs before the European Parliament convenes at the beginning of July.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, Merkel underlined that the leaders should take into account the outcome of Sunday’s European Parliament elections when proposing a candidate for the EU Commission president.

“We would like to find a solution as soon as possible, because the European Parliament will convene at the beginning of July,” Merkel said.

“It would of course be desirable if the EU Council [heads of state or government of the EU member states] would come up with a proposal up to that point,” she added.

EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday for an informal summit to discuss the outcome of the European Parliament elections and start the nomination process for the heads of the top EU institutions.

Chancellor Merkel’s Christian Democrats insist that Manfred Weber, the lead candidate of the center-right parties in European Parliament elections, should be nominated as the president of EU Commission.

The European People's Party (EPP), an umbrella group of center-right parties, has become the largest faction in the European Parliament, winning 180 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament.

But the EPP needs support from at least two other political groups in the parliament to build a majority.

The president of the EU Commission is nominated by the member states. The European Parliament needs to approve the president by an absolute majority.

Other top EU jobs to be filled this year include the new president of the EU Council, the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the new President of the European Central Bank.