Varadkar and team keen on Barnier for European Commission President post
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his team are keen for the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier for the job of European Commission President.
Mr Varadkar and his team remain in Brussels this afternoon as European leaders remained deadlocked in appointing people to key posts.
Sources close to the Taoiseach, speaking to the Irish Examiner this morning, have said they are hopeful the European People's Party (EPP), Fine Gael's EU group, could still land the Commission Presidency.
Given Emmanuel Macron had blocked the EPP's chosen candidate in Manfred Weber, Mr Barnier's name is in the mix, as is Ursula Der Leydon, the German Defence Minister.
Should Der Leydon get it , there is speculation Mr Barnier could end up as President of the EU Council of leaders, the role currently held by Donald Tusk.
The now 3-day long summit meeting in Brussels to break the deadlock in appointing a new Commission President and filling other top jobs has suffered another setback.
The Taoiseach attended a meeting of the EPP, which remains opposed to the nomination of the centre-left candidate Frans Timmermans for the President of the European Commission job.
Four central and eastern European countries, Hungary, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia, have already rejected Mr Timmermans.
This is because he has taken action against Poland and Hungary for alleged "rule of law" violations and interference in the judiciary.
Andrej Plenković, the Croatian Prime Minister, is another name being linked with the top job, but he too is facing opposition.
That is why Mr Barnier's name is being mentioned as a compromise candidate. For a nominee to go forward, he or she must secure the backing of 21 of the 28 EU leaders, representing 65% of the bloc's population.
Mr Varadkar has had to rule himself out of contention on foot of mounting speculation last week that he was in the mix for consideration.
