Good morning from Berlin, The German coalition government does not feel bound by the Spitzenkandidaten system, which provides that the candidate of the party that ranks first gets the presidency of the European Commission. Asked by Euractiv, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said, “To my knowledge, it is not in the coalition agreement that the lead candidate of the strongest parliamentary group should be nominated.” This is the second sign in just a few days that Berlin could waive its support for von der Leyen, following the remarks last week by German social democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said the new majority at the EU level should not include right-wing extremists. The German Greens and Liberals also told Euractiv that the coalition government’s support is conditional. If von der Leyen is not re-elected, then the German EU Commissioner will come from the Greens, according to the coalition deal. Reporting from Berlin, Nick Alipour has the story. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who belongs to the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), is the bone of contention. Von der Leyen has expressed her willingness to work with her and other hardliners who respect the EPP’s red lines. In Rome, Meloni said “There is room to build a different majority in the European Parliament” than the traditional between the EPP and EU socialists. Meanwhile, Meloni and far-right Marine Le Pen are flirting more and more with the idea of forming one group. For this to happen, a “strong shepherd” will be needed, the Romanian far-right newcomer Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) Vice-President Adrian Axinia told Euractiv. Euractiv was informed that the discussion is not over whether von der Leyen will receive the support of EU leaders at the Council but whether she will get enough votes in the EU Parliament. “It is one thing to have an alliance with Meloni and another thing to have her votes in the EU House”, an EPP source told Euractiv. Many in Brussels estimate that the EPP’s strategy is to have a steady coalition with the socialists and liberals but look for majorities on the right in case they disagree with specific pieces of legislation. “What is clear is that pieces of legislation that passed against the will of the EPP will not pass again against the will of the EPP with a new majority in the next Parliament,” MEP Siegfried Mureșan told Euractiv in March. | 