Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU LEADERS STRUGGLE TO FINALISE POST-ELECTION TOP JOB APPOINTMENTS Following the EU elections of 6-9 June, which resulted in an overall shift to the right, EU leaders met for an informal Council meeting on 18 June to agree on the appointment of EU top jobs for the next five years. A consensus had seemed to emerge ahead of the meeting, with EPP figures Ursula von der Leyen (Germany) and Roberta Metsola (Malta) expected to remain at the head of the Commission and Parliament, S&D’s António Costa (Portugal) likely to take the Presidency of the Council, and Renew’s Kaja Kallas envisioned to become EU’s diplomacy head. Yet no agreement was sealed on Monday, and discussions were shelved at least until next week.…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT URSULA 2.0 After not so shocking election results, the race for the top EU positions now really begins. Officially, Heads of State will meet for a Summit in Brussels at the end of this month to talk about who will be the next Commission President, Council President, Parliament President, and the High Representative for External Affairs. Unofficially, the same Heads of State will meet already next Monday to discuss these key roles over dinner, with some already holding preliminary talks at the current G7 Summit. While President Ursula von der Leyen’s party (EPP) won this year’s elections and she remains a frontrunner, her fate as a second-term Commission President is not set in stone. Concessions will…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. MEMBER STATES AGREE ON GREEN CLAIMS RULES AHEAD OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH PARLIAMENT After the Parliament adopted its position in plenary last Mach, it is now up to the Council to take its position on the Green Claims Directive, which will require companies to submit evidence about their environmental marketing claims before so-called “sustainable” products. Member State ambassadors on 5 June approved the last version of the text ahead of a formal endorsement by environment ministers on 17 June. The revised version introduces new requirements for substantiating climate-related claims based on carbon offsetting and requires that traders prioritise emission reduction in their own operations and value chains rather than relying on the purchase of carbon credits. This approach is less ambitious than…