The top two positions in the European Union should be merged to boost the bloc’s effectiveness in international affairs, a top European Parliament lawmaker has suggested.
Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), told the Spiegel magazine on Wednesday that the presidencies of the European Commission – currently held by Ursula von der Leyen – and of the European Council, occupied by António Costa, should be combined after the next European elections in 2029.
The German politician said he appreciated both leaders, as well as the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, but he believes the bloc needs a “strong European face, a European president.”
He lamented the EU’s failure to play a leading role in recent foreign policy crises over Ukraine and Greenland.
Currently, the EU is represented at international summits by the duo of von der Leyen and Costa, and it is sometimes unclear to partners which of the two is responsible for various issues, Weber said.
While von der Leyen is primarily responsible for presenting new legislative proposals and monitoring compliance with European treaties, Costa’s duties include chairing and preparing EU summits.
Weber also advocated exploring new avenues for stronger cooperation on foreign policy issues.
“We are bound by the European treaties to the principle of unanimity in foreign policy. That slows us down,” he said.
The lawmaker, a member of the European Parliament since 2004, proposed concluding a “sovereignty treaty” to enable states to cooperate more closely on foreign and security policy.
“The principle of unanimity would then not apply in this group. And if peace is achieved in Ukraine, we should station joint European peacekeeping forces as the nucleus of a European army,” he said.