This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
Brussels, Belgium, June 30 - European Union leaders have adjourned their marathon talks until Tuesday, unable to break the stalemate over filling the bloc's top jobs in the wake of May's elections.
The 28 EU leaders were trying to agree on who will steer the bloc over the coming years through the looming challenges of Brexit and the rise of populist parties in Europe.
Despite 18 hours of talks since Sunday, they needed more time to debate new proposals to overcome opposition to a Franco-German compromise on who will be the new chief of the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm.
European Council President Donald Tusk suspended the meeting and reconvened it for Tuesday at 11am, according to his spokesman Preben Aamann.
Summit organiser Tusk had suggested to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to drop efforts for now and reconvene in two weeks, but they refused, saying they must find a deal today.
The compromise proposed by Merkel and Macron called for Dutch Social Democrat Frans Timmermans to head the European Commission, rather than his conservative rival German Manfred Weber.
However, when Merkel put this to fellow centre-right leaders in the European People's Party (EPP), several rebelled, and the summit was thrown into crisis as heads of government shuttled between side meetings late into Monday morning.
Merkel said later Monday she still hoped that with good will, a compromise will be feasible.
The EPP is still the biggest bloc in the European Parliament, but no longer the dominant force it was before the May elections.
The liberals, which include Macron supporters, and Greens are increasingly assertive, trying to choose the top jobs after they made huge gains in those elections.
Even though the Social Democrat bloc also lost ground, Timmermans emerged as a compromise candidate to head the powerful commission.
There is a strong consensus for Timmermans, but the situation is very volatile, according to another European source.
The latest idea is to have Timmermans head the commission, and the EPP's Kristalina Georgieva, a Bulgarian, heading the European Council.
They also want a liberal as the diplomatic chief to replace outgoing commissioner Federica Mogherini of Italy.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is attending her last EU summit and has said she will play a constructive role and will not abstain from any vote.
