Charles Michel wants to run for EU Parliament
European Council President Charles Michel has announced that he is stepping down early from this post so that he can run for a seat in the European Parliament. If he is elected to as an MEP in June, a successor will have to be found as quickly as possible. Otherwise the country holding the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers - in this case Hungary - takes over the presidency.
No platform for Orbán
No one wants Hungary's prime minister to exploit this post for his own ends, Spotmedia stresses:
“Orbán would no doubt be delighted to take on such a high office. ... But he's clever and doesn't want to be seen as accepting a second-hand post, because all autocratic leaders define themselves by popular vote, according to the motto: the people want me. On the other hand, he doesn't want an institutional post where he would compromise his previous sovereigntist messages. ... If, in an absurd turn of events, he were asked whether he would accept the post on an interim basis, he would immediately make a speech casting himself as the saviour of the EU, on his own terms. But no one wants to offer Viktor Orbán a European platform so that he can spread such a message.”
Draghi as a potential candidate
La Stampa opens up the debate about the succession:
“Mario Draghi's name is now on the list of possible candidates to succeed the former Belgian prime minister. ... But there are several obstacles in the former Italian prime minister's path: as parliamentary sources point out, the appointment [of the non-partisan Draghi] would mean the loss of one post for the political families to fill. And it is no secret that above all the Socialists are laying claim to the presidency of the European Council, who have never held it before.”
A case of desertion
De Standaard accuses Michel of a tactical move:
“With two wars keeping the whole world busy, it's not as if the European Council has nothing to do. ... The impression that he is deserting is not unfounded. Moreover, it's hardly plausible that he wants to take up his seat in the European Parliament to serve as a 'simple' MEP. The ambitious Michel will not be satisfied with that. He wants to continue playing at the highest European level and this has placed him in a dilemma. Because if he had stayed in office until the last day, he would have blocked himself. By then the top European posts would have already been distributed.”
'Mr Veto' waiting in the wings
Chaos will ensue if a successor to Michel is not found in time, La Stampa warns:
“A flap of wings at the congress of the Reformist Movement, the party of the French-speaking liberals, could trigger a political earthquake at the top of the European institutions. ... Charles Michel has decided to stand as leader of the Reformist Movement in the upcoming elections for a new European Parliament. ... This means that the former Belgian prime minister must end his term of office, which expires in November, early. And so from July, even if only temporarily, the man who on more than one occasion has been the classic grain of sand that brings the gears of the European decision-making machinery to a standstill could be presiding over the heads of state and government: 'Mr Veto', Viktor Orbán.”