HELSINKI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said late Tuesday that the lengthy meeting among European government leaders that ran on and off from Sunday to Tuesday in Brussels did not "undermine the credibility of the European Union (EU)."
Speaking to Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Rinne said that the EU's credibility was not damaged as "in the end all appointments emerged from the meeting," though at some phases of the meeting, the process could have been more efficient and include more communication.
Rinne said he was pleased that the balance between male and female candidates was struck in the meeting, noting that for the first time a woman is to become head of the European Commission.
EU leaders on Tuesday nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission.
When it comes to the EU leaders' decision to nominate International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde as president of the European Central Bank, Rinne said "competence and professional capability, and also gender, weighed in the selection of Lagarde."
