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Some preliminary conclusions (preliminary because not yet greenlighted by the EP) conclusions from the battle over the EU top jobs:
1) The EU can still work out a compromise that works for everybody; but getting there has become more difficult, with more players, dynamics, goals in the game. The EU is getting more diverse and complex, but the will to stick together ultimately leads to results;
2) The EU remains an intergovernmental entity: the federalist experiment based on the idea of „Spitzenkandidaten“ has failed (so far), France is opposed, and most others haven’t been truly supportive, most apparently see it as a German obsession (let’s see what the EP says);
3) France and Germany remain the leading powers, their engagement is key, and the EU top personal needs to be largely in line with their views. But they have to work harder to keep others on board, bridge some deep divides (as with Italy and the Visegrad 4);
4) Despite the serious difficulties, Paris and Berlin managed to work out a tableau with personalities that are strong, professional, (mostly) very experienced in managing bureaucracies and working in an international environment, overall the result looks promising.
