(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders are heading into dinner at a summit in Brussels on Thursday to decide who’s going to lead the bloc’s key institutions -- even though it’s not clear exactly who’s in the running for what.
At stake is oversight of monetary policy for the euro area and regulation of the vast single market stretching from the Arctic circle to the Mediterranean. Conflicting political interests, geographical power, gender balance and institutional muscle-flexing will all come into play.
Read More: A Guide to Where Leaders Stand in Horsetrading for Top EU Jobs
Key Developments:
- France is focusing on getting the European Commission post rather than the European Central Bank
- German ECB candidate Jens Weidmann has made a late bid to win round critics
What Merkel’s Allies Want (7 p.m.)
Even though Christian Democrat leaders are coming to terms with possibly having to ditch their formal candidate to lead the EU Commission, they are not willing to waive their party’s claim to the bloc’s most powerful job, said an EU diplomat from a country with a center-right government. This means that if they concede that Manfred Weber doesn’t get the job, they will also demand that another candidate from their own political family does, the diplomat said, asking not to be identified discussing the private deliberations.
World Bank chief Kristalina Georgieva is someone who commands respect, the person said. The diplomat downplayed Michel Barnier’s chances, citing the Brexit negotiator’s rival campaign against Weber, which has annoyed his Christian Democratic party.
France Hopes for Progress on Top Candidates (6:30 p.m.)
France wants to at least narrow the list of possible candidates, even if leader’s probably won’t complete the process, a French official said. French President Emmanuel Macron went into meetings on Thursday with leaders striking a more conciliatory pose, in contrast to the last summit when he pointedly omitted Weber from a shortlist of candidates.
The French official said there are around a dozen people in Europe who have the experience and skills for the top jobs. That includes Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, Bulgaria’s Kristalina Georgieva and Croatia’s Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, who are “options” that are “credible.”
Macron won’t close himself off by backing any one option, or by trying to block any name or nationality, the official added.
EU Lawmakers Dig In Over Potential Candidates (4:35 p.m.)
The European Parliament will only back a president of the European Commission chosen from the official pool of candidates, the assembly’s president Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels. If lawmakers insist on this stance, that would limit the universe of potential contenders and kill the bids of outsiders, such as Barnier.
Tajani said that German conservative Manfred Weber has the rightful claim to lead the commission, as his center-right party got the most votes in last month’s EU elections. Tajani, however, didn’t exclude the other two lead candidates from consideration -- liberal Margrethe Vestager and center-left Frans Timmermans.
Tusk Is More Cautious Than Optimistic (3:47 p.m.)
The European Council president tweeted his wariness after the start of the summit.
Conte Wants Commission Head Who Mirrors Him (3:35 p.m.)
Italy is on a collision course with Brussels over its failure to rein in debt, but that doesn’t stop Premier Giuseppe Conte from having his say on the jobs front.
“Our ideal candidate for the commission presidency is the one who starts to re-discuss European rules,” the premier told reporters before the summit. Conte is seeking to adjust the bloc’s budget limits to boost growth and jobs.
Barnier Bids for EU Commission President (3:35 p.m.)
Barnier called Boyko Borissov Wednesday to tell him that he’d be a great candidate for the EU Commission, the Bulgarian premier revealed. Borissov told Barnier that EU’s center-right parties already have a candidate, and that is Weber. Borissov’s comments are the first official confirmation that Barnier is running a parallel campaign against the candidate of his own party, and may put the EU’s Brexit chief in a difficult position. Borissov also said that Weber is “plan A,” thus leaving open the possibility of other candidates being backed.
Merkel Says Must Pick EU Chief Backed by Parliament (1:55 p.m.)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she backs the so-called Spitzenkandidat principle, whereby parties backed top candidates ahead of the EU Parliament election to take over running the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. That’s a sign that she’s not ready yet to abandon Manfred Weber, the German conservative she’s been backing so far.
“We need a joint solution, so it would be unacceptable to me for the European Council to make a recommendation that in the end isn’t supported be the European Parliament,” Merkel told reporters in Brussels on her way into the meeting. “It may well be that there will be no result today. But that’s not a big worry in my view because, as I said after the European election, the goal should be to find a solution by the time the European Parliament convenes so that we can get straight to work. So we’ll still have a few days time.”
Finnish PM Backs His Fellow Countrymen for ECB Job (1:50 p.m.)
Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne lauded the two “fantastic” Finnish candidates to head the ECB, Erkki Liikanen and Olli Rehn, insisting the job would be part of the package of posts discussed at the summit.
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Brussels, Rinne said the summit would first focus on dividing up the positions before actual candidates are discussed. Reaching agreement on the package will be difficult, but possible, he said, noting he personally viewed Frans Timmermans as a “very good” head for the European Commission. The Social Democratic group has a common stance, he said.
Croat President Seen as Compromise Solution (1:50 p.m.)
The possibility of Croatia’s president -- EPP-affiliated ex-diplomat named Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic -- emerging as a compromise candidate for European Commission president is as much a possibility as any other scenario, according to an EU official. She would tick a lot of boxes: commission chief for EPP; gender, eastern European. Remember that the only country that Merkel visited during the European Parliament election campaign was Croatia.
For Italy, It’s Anyone But Weidmann at ECB (12:55 p.m.)
Italy’s populist government is eager to stop Weidmann from getting the top ECB job. Rome wants an ECB president who will follow Mario Draghi’s lead on quantitative easing among other policies, and is wary of what it sees as a hawkish successor such as Weidmann, according to a person familiar with the confidential discussions.
Rome is ready to consider French or Spanish candidates for the post, and doesn’t have a preference between French hopefuls Banque de France Governor Francois Villeroy De Galhau or ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure, said the person, who declined to be identified discussing strategy.
Leaders Must Opt for Change, Vestager Says (12:10 p.m)
Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, says she’s not confident that she will get the the presidency of the European Commission, but adds that she hopes that heads of state will hear the calls from voters for something new. Asked about her own chances ahead of a meeting of her liberal parties group, she told reporters that she will probably be sleeping by the time EU leaders make a decision.
Earlier:
Weidmann Attempts Game Changer in ECB Race by Endorsing OMTFrance to Focus on Top EU Post, Easing Weidmann’s Path to ECBFaltering German Hands Vestager Chance to Claim Europe’s Top JobRace for Top ECB Job Is Proxy Battle Between Merkel and Macron
(A previous version of this story corrected the Bulgarian prime minister’s name.)
