European leaders selected the new leadership of the European Union for the next five years during the EU summit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will remain in office until 2029, while António Costa will become the President of the European Council. Kaja Kallas from Estonia will become the EU’s chief diplomat, the first representative from Eastern Europe to hold this position.
Ukraine and the European Union have signed a security agreement covering military equipment, cybersecurity, and other aspects of security.
The European Union’s leadership is set to change with the new appointments. European leaders made decisions regarding the EU’s leadership for the next five years during the summit meeting. Discussions took place over a working dinner.
New Appointments
As a result of the decision, the current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will retain her position until 2029. She was nominated by the center-right EPP party, but she still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. Von der Leyen will serve a second term if at least 361 MEPs vote for her. The position of President of the European Council will be taken by former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, who was nominated by the Social Democrats. He will hold the position for 2.5 years with the possibility of an extension for another 2.5 years. He will replace Charles Michel starting December 1st of this year. The EU’s chief diplomat, or High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy, will be Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas from the Liberals. This marks the first time in EU history that the external diplomatic service will be headed by a representative from Eastern Europe.
Earlier, on June 27th, Ukraine and the EU signed a security agreement. The preliminary text of the agreement covered aspects of military equipment, cybersecurity, anti-Russian sanctions, and an action plan in case of possible aggression.
