Euobserver.com

Unhappy socialist and liberal MEPs could upset German's bid to be next EU commission chief, making an even worse mess in the top jobs system.

Ahead of the foreign affairs council on Monday 15 July, the foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement calling for dialogue between all parties involved. The three wrote that "the risks are such that it is necessary for all stakeholders to pause, and consider the possible consequences of their actions." The day before, in Baghdad, Federica Mogherini also warned against "dangerous adventures" in the region.

Services of the EU's satellite navigation system Galileo, offline since Thursday, have been interrupted by "a technical incident related to its ground infrastructure", the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency said Sunday. Its search and rescue service remained operational, the agency added. Galileo is still in its pilot phase, and is due to be fully operational next year. The €10bn project is an alternative to US-owned GPS.

A Swedish engineer living in the UK found he was unable to convert his "pre-settled status" to "settled status" through the country's official app, the Guardian reported Monday. "From the end of July, it will be possible for people with pre-settled status to convert to settled status as soon as they become eligible," the UK Home Office said. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October.

The Italian ruling parties, the League and the Five Star Movement (5MS), have clashed over audio tapes showing League talks with Russians on secret funding. The Deputy prime minister and 5MS leader, Luigi di Maio, wants to create a parliamentary investigation committee to look into the financing of "all parties". But League chief Matteo Salvini asked if from now on all private "dinners should be discussed in parliament?".

German foreign minister Heiko Maas said over the weekend that a "coalition of the willing" should redistribute migrants saved in the Mediterranean. Italian foreign minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said on Sunday "the system works only if a sufficient and significant number of EU countries join". On Monday in Brussels, EU foreign affairs ministers will discuss migration, a topic which has deeply divided EU states since 2015.

I will not lament the decision-making process that resulted in a package deal on the new leadership in Europe. I respect this result, which was in accordance with the treaties and therefore not undemocratic, albeit unsatisfactory.

The Romanian anti corruption prosecutor, Laura Kovesi, is poised to become the first European public prosecutor. Her only opponent, the French Jean-François Bonhert, pulled out of the race after being nominated for another function in France. Kovesi was the preferred candidate of the European Parliament, while Bonhert was supported by the European Council. However, the decision remains complicated, as according to the council rules, there must be two candidates.

On Friday, the first parts of Russian S400 missiles arrived in Turkey, the Turkish minister of defence announced. Turkey says it needs the missile system as defence to protect the country against possible attacks from Syria or Iran. It has soured relations between Turkey and the US. The US already announced it would cancel the delivery of 100 F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

MEPs will vote to confirm - or not - on Tuesday the new commission president, Ursula von der Leyen - a candidate put forward at the last minute by the EU leaders, and grilled by lawmakers recently in Brussels.

The Russian foreign ministry has accused EU Council president Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, of having a "Russophobic fit" and launching an "anti-Russia attack" when he said in Batumi, Georgia, Thursday that the collapse of the Soviet Union was "a blessing" because it freed the nations of eastern Europe. Tusk spoke of history "clumsily and even awkwardly", the Russian foreign ministry statement Friday added.

The EU court in Luxembourg has annulled sanctions on Ukraine's former regime, in a symbolic blow to European foreign policy in the former Soviet region.

Italy's government decided to put forward Giancarlo Giorgetti as its new European Commissioner, according to Bloomberg. Giorgetti is a close advisor to deputy prime minister and League leader Matteo Salvini. He tried to avoid a serious clash between the EU and Italy over paying for campaign promises. He was also in favour of early elections in order to get rid of the coalition with the Five Star movement.

Ursula von der Leyen, the nominated president of the new European Commission, is in favour of creating a "climate bank" for green investments. French president Emmanuel Macron first expressed this idea. During her meeting with the Renew group on Wednesday, she said one option could be to shift the mandate of the European Investment Bank towards green financing and green bonds. The EU aims at becoming climate-neutral in 2050.

Cyprus has objected to draft EU sanctions on Turkey over gas drilling in its waters, saying they do not go far enough. The draft text, seen by Reuters, proposes to suspend EU talks on energy and transport and curtail pre-accession funding and loans, but stops short of blacklisting firms and individuals involved in the gas operation. Talks are set to continue Friday, pending a decision by EU foreign ministers Monday.

According to a confidential document, seen by Reuters, the EU is reviewing the blacklist of countries or jurisdictions that pose a risk to the Union because of lax controls on terrorism financing and money laundering. In February the list contained Saudi Arabia, but was struck down by EU countries after pressure by the Saudi crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman. Now Saudi Arabia might reappear on the reviewed blacklist.

Belarus may be hosting the European Games, but Vladimir Putin is not playing games when it comes to Belarus' independence. The West needs to get serious as well.

The new Slovak president, Zuzana Caputova, has called on the Visegrad 4 countries to respect the rule of law and to avoid being regarded "as weakening or dissolving the European Union". The Visegrad group of eastern European countries comprise Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Aiming at Poland and Hungary, she added the Visegrad cooperation must represent common values like the rule of law, freedom and cooperation.

MEPs will vote next Tuesday on the new commission president candidate, but her approval is far from certain. Von der Leyen will have to rely on votes from the right wing of the parliament to get the top job.

France has passed a new tax on tech companies that will affect US global giants like Facebook. Donald Trump has threatened retaliatory tariffs over it. The EU commission says it will "coordinate closely with French" on the next steps.