EU Leaders Decide Who to Inherit Jean-Claude Juncker

EU leaders meet today and tomorrow at a meeting in Brussels. They have to decide who will be the successor of Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission and who will head the European Central Bank, the European External Action Service and the European Council.

Bulgaria is represented by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, writes BNT.

In his invitation to European leaders, European Council President Donald Tusk says he is "cautious optimistic" to agree on the distribution of top positions. However, the decision must be taken before the first meeting of the newly elected European Parliament, which is in early July and where MEPs will elect their chairman. So if leaders fail to understand today, they will have to reunite in Brussels before the end of the month.

For three weeks now, Tusk has been in talks with the political groups in the European Parliament and with various European leaders.

However, there have been intense contacts in recent days between Mr Tusk and all 28 national capitals, as well as the political groups within the parliament.

He will talk to all 28 EU leaders today, while the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the French President Emmanel Macron, who have been at odds on the issue, will meet ahead of the summit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will also be meeting the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, according to rte.ie.

They will discuss the state of play in the Brexit process, and in particular the direction in which the Conservative Party is going in the midst of its leadership contest.

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