Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk are currently holding a summit in Brussels with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Mitsotakis and Tusk as negotiators for the European People’s Party and Solts-Sanchez with their respective roles from the Socialists are currently in talks to agree on the “sharing” of top posts in the European institutions for the next five years. According to sources in Brussels, this meeting is the reason for the delay of the Informal European Council meeting.

Our leaders are preparing for the informal European Council, reaffirming their full support for our lead candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. pic.twitter.com/baBJKEhUJD

— EPP (@EPP) June 17, 2024

In this context, a “package deal” for the top European posts is ante portas and could be locked in at tonight’s leaders’ dinner, say Brussels media reports.

At the same time, as Politico reports, it is clear that the EPP wants a bigger prize in the distribution of the top EU jobs after its performance in the European elections.

Prime Ministers @donaldtusk 🇵🇱 and @kmitsotakis 🇬🇷 have been asked to lead the political negotiations at the European Council on behalf of the EPP. pic.twitter.com/VFlSZiJcbs

— EPP (@EPP) June 17, 2024

Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen will reportedly secure a second term as European Commission president, while Portugal’s Antonio Costa will likely be chosen by European leaders as president of the European Council. Roberta Metsola’s term in the European Parliament is locked in, while Estonia’s Kaja Kallas expected to be chosen for the crucial post of foreign policy chief.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is playing a central role in the ongoing negotiations, as he and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk were the two EPP leaders who supported Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for the Commission presidency.

In fact, as the European People’s Party says in a post, the two leaders will be the ones to negotiate on behalf of the EPP.

Mitsotakis: We are not only discussing the distribution of seats but also the policies the EU should implement in the next five years

Characteristic of the optimism that is forming in Brussels for a package deal is the fact that earlier Kyriakos Mitsotakis already expressed his optimism about reaching a solution regarding the distribution of important positions of responsibility.

Statement by Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his arrival at the European Council in Brussels

“The European People’s Party enters this negotiation as the winner of the European elections that took place between 6 and 9 June in the European countries and rightly claims the continuation of the presidency of the European Commission under the leadership of von der Leyen.

Beyond that, of course, the issues that we will discuss are not only about the distribution of positions, but also about the substantive policies that the European Union should implement in the next five years.

And I find it extremely encouraging that the main agenda of the European People’s Party, as it will hopefully be expressed through the new President of the Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, places a very strong emphasis on issues of competitiveness of the European economy, on issues of immigration, on issues of the common defence policy, but also on how the green transition will not ultimately harm our farmers, our stockbreeders and our fishermen. Because the debate that will take place, as I said, is not just about people, but primarily about policies.

So I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to conclude this debate today and have positive news after the Council,” the Prime Minister said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also echoed the same sentiment, saying that we need a stable majority like the one we worked with in the past with the EPP, the Socialists and the Liberals. “There are others who may be a political fit, but this is the basis for supporting the Commission presidency. And that is why I am sure that we will come to an understanding in a very short time and that we can have proposals between the political families and the governments on how to proceed with the Commission presidency, the president of the European Council and the High Representative,” Scholtz, who is negotiating on behalf of the Socialists, also said.

The intensive consultations between Mitsotakis and Tusk in Brussels began with meetings with the EPP “bigwigs”, German Christian Democrat Merts and Spanish People’s Party leader Feijo, both of whom won their European elections. According to government sources, these meetings discussed coordination issues in view of the EPP leaders’ meeting and the new term of the European Parliament.

Although nothing should be taken for granted as regards the informal leaders’ dinner, European officials considered that it would be difficult to overturn the status quo. The European People’s Party (EPP), which remains the largest political force in the EU, wants to guarantee a second five-year term for von der Leyen. With Emmanuel Macron focused on his own internal political turmoil, EU leaders are almost certain to impose it.

For their part, the Socialists, the second largest group in the European Parliament, are aiming for the leadership of the European Council, which represents the 27 member states. Portugal’s Antonio Costa appears to be ahead in the race to succeed current European Council President Charles Michel, but some leaders believe that his recent legal adventures must first be overcome.