Good morning from Brussels. Although negotiations are officially still ongoing, multiple sources told Euractiv that the Parliament’s main pro-European groups (centre-right EPP, socialist S&D and liberal Renew) may announce today an agreement to get the pro-EU coalition that reelected Ursula von der Leyen out of political deadlock. The spat started after the EPP attacked the socialist executive vice-president candidate Teresa Ribera over the deadly floods in Spain. The EU socialists reacted by rejecting Italy’s Raffaele Fitto having an executive vice presidency role in the next Commission because he is coming from Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right ECR but enjoys the full EPP support. The toughest challenge is for socialists to break their pre-EU election red line, not to have any hard-right politicians in top EU jobs, and vote for Fitto to save Ribera, who will be grilled today in Spanish parliament over the floods. A deal among the three may reinforce the traditional pro-European centrist majority that has driven EU politics for decades, but Euractiv’s Magnus Lund Nielsen and Nicoletta Ionta report that the final wording is unlikely to explicitly prohibit the EPP from building majorities with far-right forces. Politically, some estimate it’s a crucial reality check for EU socialists as the EPP clearly prevails in numbers and could seek majorities to pass legislation on the right. If the impasse continues, the executive will not take office in early December. “Such a scenario would render Europe a subject of global ridicule”, former Commission president Romano Prodi and former commissioner Mario Monti said in a statement. A Parliament source familiar with the ongoing talks said there is still time to reach a deal, and a vote next week is realistic as “no one wants to be blamed for putting the new Commission at risk”. Meanwhile, in Berlin a meeting of Olaf Scholz's (SPD) leaders on Tuesday caused speculation about his future as a growing number of party officials say Defence Minister Boris Pistorius should be lead candidate in the February elections. | 