EU leaders meeting in Brussels are expected to confirm former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the European Commission.
The move comes despite strong opposition from Britain.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said “the odds are stacked against me” over Mr Juncker, but stressed that he would stick to his principles.
He believes Mr Juncker is too much in favour of closer political union and might block EU reform.
He also objects to the way Mr Juncker, a 59-year-old veteran of Brussels deal-making, was put forward. He was lead candidate of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which won last month’s European elections.
The UK Conservatives – who pulled out of the EPP – suspect that the Commission is being politicised in a power grab by the European Parliament. But Mr Juncker’s supporters value his record of consensus-building and commitment to EU integration.
Under new EU treaty rules the leaders have to take account of the European election result when nominating a Commission chief. The parliament will vote on the nominee next month.
Mr Cameron is seeking an unprecedented summit vote on the appointment, which is usually made by consensus.
But his bid to block Mr Juncker suffered a major setback this week when his allies changed tack.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had given Mr Cameron hope after agreeing to a vote on the issue if there was no consensus.
But both the Netherlands and Sweden – normally close to UK positions in Europe – have since said they will back Mr Juncker.
