EU summit: Leaders back Von der Leyen for second term

Brussels: EU leaders formally nominated Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission president late on Thursday.

The choice was not a surprise as leaders had informally agreed to support von der Leyen as part of a deal struck on Tuesday.

The leaders also officially agreed on the appointments of former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as head of the European Council and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as foreign policy chief.

Two of the endorsements do not mean they have been confirmed just yet, as von der Leyen and Kallas will still need to win the support of a majority in the freshly elected European Parliament.