After the job decision

Nehammer on EU Commission: “More pragmatism”

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer at the EU summit(Bild: APA/BKA/ANDY WENZEL)

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has welcomed the decision for top EU posts at the summit in Brussels. "It is important that we have prevented a vacuum, that we have made important personnel decisions together", said Nehammer after the consultations on Friday night. In terms of content, the Chancellor expects more pragmatism and more subsidiarity from the new EU Commission, he said.

The decisions for Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President, Antonio Costa as Council President and Kaja Kallas as Foreign Affairs Commissioner had been made "in a good discussion", said Nehammer. Important substantive points were also discussed - such as migration, competitiveness and reducing regulations for companies.

Majority in favor of von der Leyen
Nehammer assumes that a majority for von der Leyen's second term of office is guaranteed in the next European Parliament. In principle, there is an agreed approach among the party families, he said. He assumed that the MEPs would adhere to this.

Kaja Kallas, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa have been fixed for the top jobs in the EU.(Bild: APA/AFP)

The Federal Chancellor defended the cooperation between the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Liberals on the EU personnel package. The aim in Parliament was to find a viable majority. "This was best achieved between the Social Democrats, the European People's Party and the Liberals, and was most difficult with the group that includes (Italian Prime Minister) Giorgia Meloni," said Nehammer. Meloni had sharply criticized the deal between the three parties and abstained from voting for von der Leyen.

Approval for Kallas
With regard to Kallas, Nehammer said that it was important that the future EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs had an eye on all the external borders of the European Union, including the southern border, where migration takes place. Kallas brings "great experience with her" and, as Prime Minister of Estonia, is "herself under great pressure from Russian aggression" and has proven herself there, said Nehammer. "We trust her in the Council to have the ability to understand the EU as a whole."

The EU elections had shown that a "change of political course is needed", Nehammer continued. "The task will be to take this election result into account. This also means that the composition of the Commission must change accordingly."

"There will be more pragmatism"
Nehammer also expects a fundamental change in EU policy. "There will be more pragmatism, that's what I expect from the Commission. There will be more subsidiarity again. This means that the Commission will not interfere in all matters, but in the central issues of the European Union."