German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday reaffirmed his support for Ursula von der Leyen to be nominated for a second term at the helm of the European Commission.
"Our intention is that the political platform that has supported Mrs von der Leyen in the past should continue to do so in the future," said Scholz, referring to an agreement between the centre-right European People's Party, the centre-left Socialists and Democrats - of which his own Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is a member - and the centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen is a member of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is affiliated to the EPP and is the principal domestic opponent of Scholz's SPD.
"We are now discussing this with our good friends in Europe," Scholz said, expressing hope that the European Parliament would support the EU leaders' nominee.