EU Council president Charles Michel has mentioned he’ll step down early from his job with the intention to run in European Parliament elections in June.
“If I’m elected, I’ll take the oath. I’ll then train my duties as president of the European Council till I take the oath as a member of the European Parliament in mid-July,” he mentioned in an interview with Belgian media late on Saturday (6 January).
“As a European chief, I wish to be accountable for my work over the previous 4 years, play an lively function within the European debate and assist promote the Europe 2030 venture. This may require reforms. I wish to be a part of these builders and proceed to serve the European venture the place I might be helpful,” he instructed the De Standaard, La Libre, and Le Soir newspapers.
Europe 2030 refers to EU ambitions to launch a brand new wave of enlargement by the tip of the last decade, bringing in some Western Balkan and former Soviet states.
Michel would usually have ended his tenure in November.
His shock announcement comes amid EU divisions on funding Ukraine in its defence towards Russia and on find out how to deal with the Gaza struggle.
It additionally implies that Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán may quickly take over Michel’s EU-chairman function till a long-term successor is discovered, as a result of Hungary will maintain the EU’s rotating presidency from July to December.
And that might trigger a political mess, on condition that the far-right populist Orbán is an EU pariah over his abuse of rule-of-law at residence and his shut ties to Russia.
However Michel was unapologetic about his choice. “That’s democracy,” he mentioned,
“There are nonetheless six months earlier than the primary session of the brand new European Parliament. So nobody might be shocked. My successor will likely be elected on the finish of June or starting of July. The second semester of 2024 is in any case a interval of political transition, together with within the [European] Fee,” he added.
Michel will run within the elections as a candidate for his liberal Reformist Motion (MR) get together.
When requested if he had ambitions to develop into Belgium’s subsequent EU commissioner or to be the subsequent EU Parliament president, he mentioned: “It does not work that method. I wish to serve the place I might be helpful. I’ve no different ambitions”.
The EU’s high jobs are usually determined through casual negotiations after the elections in Might.
However Michel’s announcement will put strain on different aspirants to declare their intentions earlier — together with EU Fee president Ursula von Der Leyen, who is anticipated to hunt a second time period.
Michel’s transfer additionally poses questions for the way forward for Belgium’s present EU commissioner, Didier Reynders, who’s at present in control of the justice portfolio and who was understood to additionally plump for an additional 5 years within the fee’s Berlaymont HQ.
“He [Reynders] needs to stay lively in Europe in a roundabout way,” Michel mentioned.
