(from our correspondent in Brussels) “I was amused and even a bit pleased to find that I cannot be easily replaced”: Jean-Claude Juncker, the outgoing president of the European Commission (his mandate will expire on 31^st October), jokes with the press. The European Council, convened in Brussels on 20^th and 21^st June, should have found a solution for the EU top jobs: the presidents of the Commission, Council, Central Bank and the High Representative for Foreign Policy (the set would also include the president of the Strasbourg Assembly, even if the European Parliament is independent). But late in the night the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk (in the photo with Juncker), his mandate also about to expire, said that the 28 members did not reach any agreement. “There was no majority on any candidate”, he spells out, as he meets the international press late in the night. He adds: “We will meet again on 30^th June. In the meantime, I will go on with the consultations, even with the European Parliament”. In addition to such appointments, the European Council “dealt with a number of issues, including he EU long-term budget, adopting the strategic agenda and confirming the economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, due to failure to implement the Minsk agreements”. Tusk then explains that the Council failed to reach a univocal position on “climate neutrality”, i.e. zero emission, by 2050. The opposition of coal-dependent Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary prevented the 28 members from giving a unanimous vote.