Von der Leyen gets nod for second EU term, Estonia’s Kallas as top diplomat

Leaders struck deal at a summit that also saw Antonio Costa named as the next head of the European Commission.

Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated for a second term as head of the European Commission while Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, has been tapped as foreign policy chief after European Union leaders reached a late-night deal on the institution’s top jobs.

Under the agreement, reached despite resistance from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was named to head the European Council.

“Mission accomplished! The European Council has delivered,” the body’s current chair, Charles Michel, told reporters early on Friday morning, following the summit in Brussels.

All three nominees are part of the centrist alliance that dominates the EU parliament and while Costa will automatically succeed Michel this year, von der Leyen and Kallas will need to win the legislature’s backing in order to be confirmed in their positions.

The vote, which is expected to be tight after a far-right surge in this month’s elections, will take place in July.