EU: France, Germany differ on Brussels' top job

France and Germany have disagreed on who should be the president of the blocs executive arm, the European Commission, as leaders from the bloc met here following parliamentary elections. The vote saw the big centrist blocs lose their majorities with Greens and nationalists gaining ground.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants centre-right candidate Manfred Weber as the next EU Commission president. But French President Emmanuel Macron did not even mention Weber as a contender for the influential position, reported the BBC on Wednesday.

Their comments came on Tuesday at a meeting, which was a chance for the EU leaders to discuss the new political landscape and who might take over the top jobs. The elections left the EU more fragmented with the chances of reaching consensus more difficult.

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said Brexit was a factor behind a majority of voters favouring pro-EU parties. "As Europeans see what Brexit means in practice, they also draw conclusions. Brexit has been a vaccine against anti-EU propaganda and fake news," said Tusk.

According to the BBC report, UK Prime Minister Theresa May took part in talks but Tusk said Brexit was not discussed.

The commission is the body that enforces EU rules and drafts EU law, and its presidency is currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker, who is at the end of his five-year term.

In 2014, Juncker was chosen to head the Commission as the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) candidate, after the EPP had won the election.

But it is a much tougher challenge this time for the EPP's candidate Manfred Weber - a German - after his bloc shrank from 217 seats to 180 in the 751-seat parliament, although it remains the biggest grouping.

After the talks, Merkel, said she stood by Weber, but "others stand by their candidate, which is obvious".

Earlier in the day, Macron had said he did not want to talk about names, but also mentioned three, none of them Weber.

He later refused to name a favourite candidate, saying he wanted them to be "the most charismatic, creative and competent possible". If not Weber, then who?

Several others are in the running, among them chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who is French, Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager and Dutch centre-left candidate Frans Timmermans, the BBC reported.

--IANS

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