The failure of Wednesday’s EU summit to make appointments to several EU top jobs is not a disaster, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte is quoted as saying by broadcaster Nos.

‘The decision-making process is complex. There are 28 countries at the table so it is only logical things will take time,’ Rutte said.

‘I think the end of August will show that the preparatory work from this evening was very important,’ Rutte said. EU leaders meet again on August 30 to finalise appointments.

Dutch

Rutte again denied he is in the running to succeed Herman Van Rompuy as president of the European Council. ‘I have not been asked and I am not in the market,’ he said.

There has also been considerable speculation in the Netherlands that finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem could be up for the job. The name of foreign minister Frans Timmermans has also been mentioned as a possible successor to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Delegates on Wednesday failed to approve the appointment of Italy’s Federica Mogherini to that job as Poland and the Baltic states said she is too pro-Russia.

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