European Council outgoing President Charles Michel announced Thursday evening that Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated to serve a second five-year term as president of the European Commission.
The 65-year-old politician, who previously served in former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, will now need to get the necessary support from the European Parliament. Portugal's former Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, has been chosen to succeed Charles Michel as the president of the European Council. Estonia's Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has been selected as a candidate for High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, a role currently held by Josep Borrell since 2019.
According to sources who spoke to The Guardian, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni abstained on the nomination of von der Leyen and voted against both Costa and Kallas.
