An unseemly row has broken out among European leaders over the allocation of top jobs within the European Union.
Centrist parties managed to claim another majority in the European Parliament in the wake of the June elections, fending off challenges from nationalist and far-right opponents.
The European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and the Liberals secured 400 out of the 720 seats in the new parliament.
The so-called “grand coalition” may find its position strengthened even further if the Greens come on board.
As the leading political bloc within the parliament, the alliance gets to choose which officials are appointed to the top jobs.
Presently, they have agreed on a trio of frontrunners: Ursula von der Leyen for the presidency of the European Commission, António Costa for the presidency of the European Council and Kaja Kallas for the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
However, this has provoked a furious reaction from several rightwing European leaders, who accused the other parties of a stitch-up.
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, claimed that the will of the European people had been ignored.
Putin’s close ally said: “They don’t care about reality. We shouldn’t be naive: they will continue to support migration and send even more money and weapons to the Russia–Ukraine war.”
Meanwhile, Italy’s leader Giorgia Meloni is said to be furious she was left out of consultations over the appointments.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere Della Sera, she is said to be refusing to accept a “pre-packaged” selection without having first a “serious and in-depth” discussion about the elections.
The Czech Republic’s eurosceptic Prime Minister also weighed into the debate, accusing other leaders of ignoring his country’s interests.
“The rules are clear, nominations for the top jobs in European institutions must respect political and geographical interests,” Petr Fiala wrote on social media.
“The Czech Republic is at the centre of Europe – our future portfolio must reflect this.”
Nationalists feel their strong performance in the recent elections shows the tide is turning in Europe and that they should have a greater say over political appointments.
However, although they made inroads and will have more MEPs than previously, they are still a minority within the parliament.