Euobserver.com

Three out of the four people to lead the EU institutions in Brussels for the next five years were selected Tuesday, but none are well-known outside their own countries. The fourth, the European Parliament president, is to be chosen Wednesday.

An ally of Angela Merkel, the female Germany defence minister has been nominated by EU leaders for the commission top job. Ursula von der Leyen still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament, where she will meet some resistance.

The Frankfurt-based European Central Bank is set to get its first female leadership after the EU leaders in Brussels nominated Christine Legarde, who is current managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Manfred Weber, the centre-right EPP's lead candidate in the race for the EU commission presidency on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy, making way for German minister Ursula von der Leyen to get the post. The EPP won the European elections last month and Weber was in pole position to clinch the EU commission top post, but his nomination was met with heavy resistance including from French president Emmanuel Macron.

EU leaders agreed on Tuesday on a deal to nominate German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen as the new European Commission president, which the European Parliament still has to approve. Belgian premier Charles Michel was chosen as EU Council president and Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell was named EU foreign affairs chief. The International Monetary Fund's director, Christine Lagarde, will get the top job at the European Central Bank.

The EU centre right bloc's lead candidate to be next European Commission president, Manfred Weber, has pulled out of the race, including for the EU Council and European Parliament posts. The centre-right EPP group is to support German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen for the commission post instead, while Weber may return to Berlin. Current EP president, Antonio Tajani, was mentioned to run again as president of the parliament.

While EU leaders seem to converge around German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen as Commission president, the European Parliament is not happy with the emerging agreement on top jobs.

The number of female MEPs in the new European Parliament, officially inaugurated on Tuesday (2 July), has increased to 40 percent (up from 37 percent when compared to the outgoing 2014 legislature). European Parliament figures also show that some 61 percent of the incoming MEPs are new. Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, a Danish socialist MEP from Denmark is the youngest at 21. At 82, the oldest is Italy's Silvio Berlusconi.

Volkswagen Group duped the European Investment Bank, from which it borrowed €400m, by not disclosing it was cheating on emissions tests. Requests by EUobserver to see the anti-fraud report however have been consistently rejected.

On the third successive day of the EU summit, divided national leaders continue to try to find an agreeable compromise for the new EU leadership.

The 29 MEPs from the anti-EU Brexit Party in the UK turned their backs in the European Parliament [EP] plenary chamber in Strasbourg on Tuesday during the playing of the EU anthem. The 16 MEPs from the Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts with "Bollocks to Brexit". The EP president, Antonio Tajani, rebuked the back-turners, saying: it was "a question of respect" to stand up when an anthem was played.

Co-chair of the Green group, Ska Keller, will run for the presidency of the European Parliament. Candidates have until Tuesday 10PM to submit their names for the presidency, and the vote will take place on Wednesday at 9AM in Strasbourg. EU leaders are discussing top EU jobs, including the parliament presidency, in Brussels. "It's up to the parliament and only to the parliament to decide," she said.

Hungary's premier Viktor Orban told pro-government Hungarian media late Monday that German chancellor Angela Merkel went against two decisions made by EPP leaders, ahead of Sunday's EU summit. Orban claimed the EPP decided not to support Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans for commission president, and keep the position for the EPP. He added that only Luxembourg's EPP MEP Frank Engel supported Merkel. Hungary is one of the staunchest opponents of Timmermans.

At the official opening of the European parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 29 MEPs had not signed declarations of financial interests or non-incompatibility, according to outgoing parliament president, Antonio Tajani. Sources revealed that one name on the list is that of Frans Timmermans, while other names were not revealed. If procedures are not fulfilled by 9AM on Wednesday the MEPs will not be approved or allowed to vote.

Thousands of Catalans gathered outside the European Parliament on Tuesday, protesting that their three MEPs, elected in May, have been prevented from taking their seats by the Spanish authorities. To applause from fellow MEPs, Irish Sinn Fein MEP, Matt Carthy, said the "credibility" of the parliament and of democracy was being undermined as the Catalan MEPs were not allowed to take their seats.

Two out of eight tellers appointed to count Wednesday's key vote for a new president of the European Parliament will be from the UK Brexit Party. Picked by a lottery by outgoing president Antonio Tajani on Tuesday, Henrik Overgaard Nielsen and Alexandra Lesley Phillips were chosen and both accepted the task.

The EU's centre-right political alliance, the EPP, which has been divided over the nomination of Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans as new commission president, needs to "reboot", Luxembourg's liberal premier Xavier Bettel said arriving at the EU summit on Tuesday. "The EPP had a bug yesterday," he said. "I hope that they did a reboot overnight and that they can work constructively today so that we can come to a solution."

German chancellor Angela Merkel said arriving at the third day of the EU summit that leaders need to show flexibility to agree - referring to the eastern European countries plus Italy, who have opposed Dutch Socialists Frans Timmermans, who is backed by the chancellor. "We're going to work today with new creativity, and I think everyone needs to understand that he, and she, needs to move," she said.

European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans has not taken up his seat in the European Parliament, a spokeswoman confirmed to EUobserver. Timmermans, who hopes EU leaders nominate him to become commission president on Tuesday, had been elected in the May parliament elections. He received 839,240 votes, more than any other Dutch candidate. Consequently, if he does not become commission president, Timmermans will be without a job from 1 November.

Czech prime minister Andrej Babis said on arrival at the Brussels summit Tuesday that Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans leading the EU Commission will not be acceptable to several eastern European countries and Italy. "We want a commission chief with whom we can discuss normally," he said. Timmermans, who has been touted as the new commission president, has been critical of eastern member states backsliding on democratic freedoms and values.