German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 30, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/Pool)

Speaking to the media after an EU summit in Brussels was suspended after a failure to reach consensus, Merkel said she still “hoped that with goodwill a compromise will be feasible”. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the process of allotting European Commission jobs is “unbelievably complicated” due to many political factions. Rutte added that it is not certain whether a decision will be made by Tuesday.

After 20 hours of negotiations, EU leaders failed to achieve a consensus on candidates deemed eligible to take over the bloc's top jobs. Dutch socialist Frans Timmerman, who Germany, France, and Spain support, was the favorite for the presidency of the European Commission. But Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia expressed strong reservations about the candidate. Four key positions in the bloc have been vacated due to differences.