When will new European Parliament elect new President of European Commission?

The election of the President of the European Commission in the European Parliament, in its new composition after the June 6–9 elections, is tentatively scheduled for July 18. Two EU officials told Politico.

European Parliament Secretary General Alessandro Chiocchetti announced a tentative date for the vote for the head of the EU executive body during a meeting with permanent representatives of member states.

One of Politico’s sources clarified that the final decision has not yet been made, but the most likely date is July 18, two days after the European Parliament elects its president.

In recent weeks, there have been discussions about whether the European Parliament will try to vote on the EC president at its first meeting in July or wait until the next official meeting in September.

To win the post, a candidate must first receive the support of a qualified majority of EU leaders and only then secure the votes of at least 361 of the 720 MEPs.

EU leaders are expected to decide on their support for the candidate at a meeting of the European Council on June 27–28. Then the discussion will move to the political groups of the European Parliament, which in this scenario will end on July 11.

German center-right politician Ursula von der Leyen, the outgoing European Commission president, has been campaigning for another 5-year term. 

However, Ursula von der Leyen may not have enough votes to take the the most powerful EU’s job for the second time, as the new composition of the European Parliament could potentially present more opposition to her candidacy.

At the same time, the current President of the European Commission remains a clear favorite for this position, as she is the main candidate of the European People’s Party, which is projected to win the biggest number of seats in the European Parliament.