Macron is lobbying for von der Leyen's replacement as head of the European Commission

French President Emmanuel Macron has begun talks with other European Union leaders on the search for a new candidate for the post of President of the European Commission, currently held by Ursula von der Leyen. 

According to Bloomberg, Macron discussed with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni the possible appointment of a technocratic leader for the European Commission, for example, former president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi.

The French president believes that von der Leyen has politicized her position too much, and the loyalty of other key EU countries is falling due to the dubious decisions of the head of the EC on trade, ecology, relations with the United States and unequivocal support for Israel. 

However, it is still difficult to assess the seriousness of Macron's discussions, which may simply be an attempt to put pressure on von der Leyen to obtain concessions in the future.

Currently, the current head of the European Commission remains the main favorite for this position, as she is the candidate of the European People's Party, which is expected to win the majority of seats in the European Parliament in the elections in June. This means that this party will have the right to nominate its candidate for a key position in the EU.

In addition, it is unlikely that Germany will support Macron's plan, which by its actions would exclude their country's representative from the highest institutional position in the European Commission.