France, Germany spar over European Union leadership

Besides commission president, other big roles that need to be filled later this year include the head of the European Parliament and the European Central Bank (ECB), the bloc's foreign policy chief and the head of the European Council.

Germany, France, Britain to launch mechanism for trade with Iran — EU leaders hope to be able to name the candidates for the top posts in the bloc at the next summit on June 20-21. (AP Photo)

A rift between France and Germany was apparent at an informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Tuesday, as French President Emmanuel Macron looked certain to protest the replacement of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker with German politician Manfred Weber.