The Latest: Macron wants commission head with experience

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the European Union summit (all times local):

3:40 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for a commission president with experience and credibility, saying the chief criteria as he and other European leaders negotiate over top jobs is that the person needs to have proven capable at a high level either in their home country or at the European Union.

That seems to virtually rule out German Chancellor Angela Merkel's preferred candidate, Manfred Weber, setting up a possible clash between France and Germany.

Tuesday's summit is an opportunity for European leaders to take stock of the Europe-wide election results that saw the erosion of the parliament's traditional political center. Instead, on the rise are the far-right, a political grouping that includes Macron and the pro-environment Greens.

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3:20 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken strongly in favor of Manfred Weber to take over the position of EU Commission president.

Weber, a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats in Germany, is the candidate of the center-right EPP bloc in the European parliament.

Merkel said she fully supports the system to elect a successor to Jean-Claude Juncker based on candidates proposed by the parliamentary blocs. It is preferred by many in the European Parliament but not by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Still, she allowed for many weeks of negotiations among European parliament group leaders before a final decision can take place.

"We have still have a lot of time ahead of the summit" set for June 20-21, Merkel said. There are already fears that a decision might not be possible by then, necessitating one or more emergency summits.

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12:45 p.m.

European Parliament President...