Officially, Europe's center-right political force is standing by Manfred Weber, its nominee for European Commission president — despite opposition from Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders.

But the German standard-bearer of the European People's Party failed to get the necessary support at a summit in Brussels last week and looks unlikely to fare any better at another gathering meant to resolve the issue this Sunday.

Weber still has some chance of turning things around — he has implored fellow members of the European Parliament to rally behind his candidacy. He has argued that anything else would endanger the so-called Spitzenkandidat system — under which the Commission presidency should go to one of the "lead candidates" from the European Parliament election.

But EPP officials need a Plan B if Weber's candidacy can't be rescued and they want to retain the Commission presidency, currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker. The hunt is on for someone who can win the required support of both the European Council and the European Parliament. Asked whether there are any alternative EPP candidates, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told the Luxembourg Times: "That’s something we’re going to have to talk about over the next week or so."

Here are nine possible EPP contenders for the powerful post, with a look at what could help or hurt their chances of getting the job.

1. Michel Barnier, EU Brexit negotiator

Pro: As a veteran French statesman and two-time European commissioner, Barnier has the executive experience and knowledge of the EU required for the job. As Brexit negotiator, he's the man who kept the 27 other EU members united. He's a member of the EPP but has also built strong ties with both EU leaders and MEPs from across the political spectrum.

Con: In 2021, Barnier will turn 70. Therefore, he does not embody the generational change called for by some EU leaders, including Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And if Paris nixes German candidate Weber, Berlin is unlikely to let a Frenchman take the job.

Languages: French and English

2. Alexander Stubb, vice president of the European Investment Bank

Pro: Stubb was runner-up in the contest to become the EPP's Spitzenkandidat — a fact that could let the party argue the former Finnish PM is the next best thing to a lead candidate. Unlike Weber, Stubb would bring a plethora of executive experience to the job, having served not only as head of government but in various ministerial positions. He is seen as a moderate within the EPP, which could help him win support from other parties in the Parliament.

Con: Finland's new government has already announced that it will nominate Jutta Urpilainen, a social democrat, as its next commissioner. Prime Minister Antti Rinne, also a social democrat, would need to drop his support for Urpilainen and endorse Stubb to allow him to become Commission president. Poland, Hungary and possibly other Eastern European governments are likely to vote against Stubb in the European Council as he has spoken out strongly in favor of the EU upholding the rule of law in member countries — a stance Warsaw and Budapest regard as undue interference in their domestic affairs.

On top of all that, since losing the EPP primary, Stubb has said he supports Weber and has maintained that stance even as speculation has grown that Weber’s candidacy may not succeed.

Languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, French and German

3. Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive of the World Bank

Pro: The Bulgarian is highly respected in Brussels, having served as a European commissioner from 2010 until 2016. She would have the support of all four Central European countries in the Visegrad Group (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia), according to one senior EU diplomat. Appointing Georgieva would please those pushing for a gender-balanced and geographically diverse Commission.

Con: Georgieva has never been elected and has not held any national-level political posts. In addition, some EU officials are not impressed by her having left the Commission in 2016 to take a job as CEO of the World Bank because of growing frustration with the way the organization operates — in particular, its current secretary-general, Martin Selmayr, then Juncker's chief of staff. "It would be strange to appoint as Commission president someone who has not been able to confront a civil servant," said one member of the Council of the EU.

Languages: Bulgarian, English, Russian and French

4. Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund

Pro: As a former lawyer and three time-minister in her native France, Lagarde has the executive experience and economic knowledge that would fit well with the Commission presidency. Making her the first woman to hold the top job would counter criticism and shake up the male-dominated upper echelons of the EU. Macron, among others, has stressed he wants gender balance in the EU's top jobs. And EU officials say Lagarde has long been one of Merkel's preferred choices.

Con: Lagarde is not a frequent visitor to Brussels and does not have close relationships with members of the European Parliament. She has never stood for elected political office. She is also in the middle of a second term as IMF chief, due to last until 2021. Earlier this month, she told French journalists that she is "very honored" that she had been mentioned as a potential successor to Juncker or European Council President Donald Tusk. "But I have a mission," Lagarde said. "More than a mission, I have a mandate. I will fulfill my mission and carry out my mandate."

Languages: French and English

5. Leo Varadkar, prime minister of Ireland

Pro: As Ireland's leader during the Brexit process, Varadkar has worked very closely with the European Commission and fellow EU leaders over the past months. While a member of the EPP, the 40-year-old belongs to the party's moderate wing and appears to have struck up a good rapport with liberal and left-leaning members of the European Council. Varadkar would be the first openly gay leader of a major EU institution, and the first son of an Indian immigrant to hold a top European post.

Con: Varadkar has only been leader of his country for two years. It is very unlikely he would welcome a move to Brussels at this stage. One Irish politician told POLITICO that it is "far too soon" for Varadkar to pursue a European position. There is "an election coming up in Ireland within a year, it might be perceived as running away," the politician said. (Varadkar's predecessor Enda Kenny has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate for a top EU post in recent years, but his star seems to have faded.)

Languages: English, conversational Irish, basic French and German

6. Peter Altmaier, German economy minister

Pro: Altmaier ticks a lot of boxes for Commission president: He has the executive experience (he’s been an environment minister, head of the German chancellery, and is now minister for energy and economy), he speaks multiple European languages, and he has worked for the Commission. He has recently worked closely with his French colleague Bruno Le Maire on a joint Franco-German industrial strategy, which could help win over Macron. He's also a close ally of Merkel and is on the left of the chancellor's CDU party, which could help build a coalition behind him in the European Council and Parliament.

Con: Altmaier is 61 years old so would hardly represent a generational change in leadership. As someone not previously in the running for the Commission presidency and who did not run in the European Parliament election, he may face resistance from a substantial number of MEPs who do not know him and feel he is being foisted upon them.

(Another German Cabinet member sometimes tipped for a top EU job is Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, but her name has not been much mentioned in EU circles for the current round of leadership posts.)

Languages: German, French, English and Dutch

7. Andrej Plenković, Croatian prime minister

Pro: A former diplomat and ex-MEP, Plenković is seen as a moderate within his HDZ party and one of the key figures who helped Croatia on its path to EU membership in 2013. He is considered a darling of the EPP and close to the powerful Commission Secretary-General Selmayr. A sign of how highly favored he is within the EPP came in May when Merkel visited Zagreb for her only European Parliament election rally outside Germany.

Con: Officially, he's not interested. “My job is prime minister of Croatia,” he told POLITICO last month — although many took that declaration with a pinch of salt. His country is neither a member of the euro nor of the EU's borderless Schengen zone. Giving him the top job in Brussels would plunge the Commission deep into the unfamiliar world of Balkan politics. Merkel's rally in Zagreb gave a flavor of the dangers when a nationalist song was played at the event without her knowledge.

Languages: Croatian, English, French, German and Italian

8. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Croatian president

Pro: The youngest-ever president of Croatia and the first woman elected to the office. Appointing her as Commission chief would help ensure gender and geographical balance in the EU's top jobs. A former diplomat and former minister of foreign affairs and European integration, she also played a key role in Croatia's accession to the EU, and she served as NATO's assistant secretary-general for public diplomacy.

Con: Grabar-Kitarović faces some of the same drawbacks as Plenković, in terms of her country not being in the eurozone or the Schengen area. Her role as head of state is less hands-on than Plenković's. (It's Plenković, for example, who attends EU summits.) She is also seen as appealing more to the right wing of the HDZ party, which would make it hard to form a broad coalition in the European Parliament to back her.

Languages: Croatian, English, Spanish and Portuguese.

9. Donald Tusk, European Council president

Pro: The seemingly unlikely idea of Tusk switching from the European Council to the Commission has been mentioned by some EU diplomats. As a former prime minister of Poland and the current Council president, he would not face any questions about whether he has experience of high-level executive office — Weber's Achilles heel. Although part of the center-right EPP, Tusk has also shown that he can get the backing of the Socialists and liberals. Seven liberal prime ministers explicitly supported him when he was reappointed for a second term two years ago — against the wishes of his arch-rivals in the Polish government.

Con: During a press conference in the early hours of Friday morning after EU leaders met for the summit, Tusk replied with a simple “no” to a question on whether his name has been added to the list of possible Commission presidents. Diplomats say the Tusk option would only be activated in a worst-case scenario — it wouldn't fly at the moment when other candidates are still in the frame, but it could work to break a stalemate if no one can agree on anyone else. Tusk's critics accuse him of meddling too much in Polish domestic politics, with a view to resuming his political career there, and say the same thing could happen if he ran the Commission.

Languages: Polish, English and German

Jakob Hanke contributed reporting.