Macron proposes Lagarde to head ECB

BRUSSELS: President Emmanuel Macron (pictured)sought to break a deadlock on Tuesday over assigning the EU’s top jobs by proposing France’s Christine Lagarde, now head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to lead the European Central Bank, diplomatic sources said. In his proposal, made to tired EU leaders on a third day of arm-wrestling over who will next hold the bloc’s top posts, Macron also proposed Germany’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become president of the European Commission. The leaders are trying to balance political affiliations, the varying interests of different regions, and an acute lack of women in senior ranks as they seek to fill five top jobs coming vacant later this year. “Things are going smoothly now,” one source said of discussions around the proposal. — Reuters