BERLIN -- European Union leaders Wednesday agreed on Romano Prodi, a former Italian prime minister, as the new head of their executive body.
Belgian government spokeswoman Moniek Delvou said the 15 EU leaders approved the 59-year-old Prodi as president of the European Commission during the first session of their two-day summit."I have good news . . . there is agreement on a name. It will be Prodi," Delvou told reporters.
Prodi will replace Luxembourg's Jacques Santer, who resigned last week with the other 19 EU commissioners after a scathing report on cronyism and waste at the EU executive.
Wednesday's decision was unanimous. Prodi, an economist, has said he would only take the top commission job for the full five-year mandate and would not serve as a stand-in for Santer.
However, under EU rules, a permanent replacement can only be sworn in by the European Parliament after voters in the 15 countries elect a new EU assembly June 13.
One scenario is for Prodi to be appointed temporarily but on the understanding he'll be confirmed for a full term after the elections.
At the summit, the leaders were working to sort out EU future funding, seeking a long-delayed deal to finance the entry of 12 new countries into the European Union's ranks.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the summit's host, urged his colleagues to cut a spending deal based on "the principle of strict budgetary discipline, solidarity (and) a fair sharing of the burden."