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Merkel Stands by Her EU Candidate But Says Choice Isn’t Only Hers

Merkel Stands by Her EU Candidate But Says Choice Not Only Hers

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel clung to her favored candidate to take over the European Union’s executive arm, but told lawmakers the choice “doesn’t depend on me alone” and cited resistance from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Weighing in on the Byzantine process of choosing a successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission as well as filling other top EU jobs, Merkel stuck to Manfred Weber as the lead candidate of her center-right party group in Brussels, the European People’s Party.

Merkel Stands by Her EU Candidate But Says Choice Isn’t Only Hers

Weber, however, is rejected by Macron and a number of other EU leaders -- and has failed to win the backing of a majority in the European Parliament, which would have to approve any candidate.

The horse-trading over top jobs has been a blunt demonstration of European power politics, with party groups hewing to their lead candidates, or Spitzenkandidat, and many European leaders insisting that they have primacy over the choice from within the European Council.

“I would wish that we would arrive at a solution that of course doesn’t push out the Spitzenkandidat concept, but that also ensures that Europe is able to act,” Merkel told lawmakers on Wednesday, four days before an extraordinary summit in Brussels.

The 28 EU leaders will use the one-day summit to try to push forward a candidate, which then has to receive a majority in the European Parliament. Spitzenkandidat supporters view their lead candidates as a more direct form of European democracy after last month’s continent-wide election resulted in a more fragmented parliament.

Merkel Stands by Her EU Candidate But Says Choice Isn’t Only Hers

German Social Democrat Martin Schulz, who lost a bid to replace Merkel as chancellor in 2017, confronted her over her ambiguous support for the parliament’s lead candidates, asking her if she stood by the principle “without any ifs ands or buts.”

“Since you’re among those who very much prioritizes the German-French friendship, you have to realize that the French president is one who has another opinion when it comes to the Spitzen concept than I do,” Merkel responded.

Merkel Stands by Her EU Candidate But Says Choice Isn’t Only Hers

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt

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