It is not the EU dream team this newspaper had hoped for, but the European Council has nominated a solid crew to steer the bloc into the next decade. Its choice is not, however, without risks.

If the European Parliament accepts the council’s selection — still far from certain — Germany’s defence minister Ursula von der Leyen will be the next commission president. Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF and a former French finance minister, is set to lead the European Central Bank.

The pair would embody a Franco-German dominance at the core of EU decision-making while consolidating the centre-right’s hold on central roles. Their appointment would also mark a decisive assertion of power by member states over the parliament, whose preferred Spitzenkandidat process for picking the commission president is left in tatters.