According to sources close to the file, Italy, Poland and Sweden have put forward candidates for the position of president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), kicking off an initial round of talks in the European Union that will intensify next year as they begin bidding for the top positions.

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, former finance minister Daniele Franco is Italy’s candidate for the position of head of the EIB, and the authorities in Warsaw have proposed the vice president of the EIB, Tereza Czerwinska. These proposals were made in the context of the meeting of finance ministers of European countries, which began on Friday in Luxembourg. The city is also home to the headquarters of the EIB, which claims to be the largest multilateral bank in the world. On Thursday, Sweden announced the appointment of Thomas Ostros, who in turn is the vice president of the EIB.

The deadline for submitting candidacies for the position of the head of the EIB ends on Friday. The deadline for submitting applications for the position of head of the ECB’s financial supervision body will end next Friday. Three women are considered favorites for this position: Claudia Buch (Germany), Margarita Delgado (Spain) and Sharon Donnery (Ireland). Both positions will begin in early January 2024.

Even if they are not the most important positions in the EU, the influence that these positions have in financial matters is enough to make member states try to win them. In addition, the current round of negotiations may give a picture of the future deals that will take place on the posts of the future European Commission, the posts that will become vacant after the European Parliament elections in June 2024.

It is also possible that other vacancies will appear by then as a result of some personal decisions. For example, Fabio Panetta, a member of the ECB’s executive board, may return to Rome in the autumn to head the Bank of Italy, while there have been suggestions in the Spanish press that ECB Vice President Luis Guindos could be appointed to a cabinet post. if the People’s Party wins the next election. Meanwhile, Spain’s Jose Manuel Campa’s five-year term as president of the European Banking Authority expires next March and may have to be extended.

Negotiations between member states are likely to be tense. If Claudia Buch gets the job of president of the ECB’s financial watchdog, it may satisfy Germany to stop following the lead of the EIB and the European Stability Mechanism. But Germany also has Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission, the EU bloc’s most coveted post, and Verena Ross, who heads the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

Normally, the EU tries to distribute leadership positions fairly, but takes into account the size and political affiliation of the country, and the appointment of women is increasingly a priority. (Agerpress, photo DreamsTime.com)