EU summit: Six things to look out for as leaders face bumpy start to new EU era

Leaders from across Europe gather on Thursday for a bumpy summit that could see major clashes over how to fill the top jobs in Brussels.

More than one month after elections to the European Parliament, there seems little sign of agreement between parliamentary groups or between member state prime ministers on who should replace Jean-Claude Juncker as the president of the European Commission.

The logjam could also delay appointments to other major roles such as President of the European Central Bank and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs.

At previous summits, Franco-German hegemony has built support around a favoured candidate. But there is disagreement between Chancellor Angela Merkel, who supports centre-right technocrat Manfred Weber, and President Emmanuel Macron who has floated other candidates including centre-left Frans Timmermans, Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier or Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

In previous years, the largest political grouping in the parliament shapes the Commission, but the European election results have left no political grouping with a clear majority.

The two main groups have lost their majority for the first time in the history of the parliament as voters polarised towards pro-European alliances, Greens or populist anti-EU parties.