Michel, the president of the European Council, the highest decision-making body of the European Union, suddenly announced on the 7th that he would leave his post early to participate in the European Parliament elections in June this year, causing an uproar. According to the Financial Times, this is unprecedented in the history of the European Union. Michel's abrupt resignation, motivated by his own political ambitions, has sparked a battle for the EU's top office, which will be offered to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the second half of this year if EU member states are unable to elect a successor, causing confusion in Brussels and sparking a bickering on social media. According to the report, the "pro-Russian" Orban is seen by some in the EU as a "thorn in the side", which may give him an opportunity to exert influence on the EU. Bloomberg commented on the 8th that the EU leadership was "in chaos". Weber, the leader of the European People's Party, the largest party in the European Parliament, said Michel's decision "will lead to more instability in the Council," according to German Press TV. He called on all parties to prevent Orban from "coming to power".
The EU "has no plan".
The European Council is the highest decision-making body of the European Union, which determines the overall direction of the European Union and is composed of the heads of state or heads of state of EU member states, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. Born in Belgium in 1975, Michel served as Belgian Prime Minister from 2014 to 2019, was elected President of the European Council in July 2019 and officially assumed office in December, and was re-elected in June 2022, with his term scheduled to end in November this year.
From 6 to 9 June this year, elections to the European Parliament will be held. More than 400 million eligible voters from 27 EU countries will elect 720 members of the European Parliament for five-year terms in the world's largest multinational election, according to the German news agency dpa. After the elections, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council will also be replaced. According to AFP, the European Parliament elections every five years usually trigger "fierce bargaining" over the choice of the EU's leadership. Theoretically, the more seats a party wins, the more power it has to nominate key EU positions.
According to the French newspaper Libération, rumors that Michel may leave early to run for European Parliament have been circulating in Brussels for months, because he is about to serve two terms and the rules prohibit a third term, and he is only 48 years old. On January 6, he confirmed the rumours in an interview with Belgium, saying that "this means that I will carry out my duties as President of the European Council until I am sworn in as a Member of the European Parliament on July 16". According to the report, the announcement was almost immediately met with a series of criticisms, because the timing was too inopportune: if he stepped down early until July 16, when the European Council has not yet chosen a successor, Orban will serve as the president of the European Council for half a year in his capacity as head of the EU presidency in the second half of the yearBut because it will not be known until June 9 whether Michel will be elected to the European Parliament, the 27 EU member states are theoretically given only five weeks to nominate a successor, "which is a sudden pressure on EU leaders".
Michel defended on the 7th that he had informed the leaders of the European Union of his decision to resign early on the 6th, and chose to announce it in January because he wanted to leave enough time for the EU to select his successor, and "if there is political will not allow (Hungarian Prime Minister) Orban to serve as interim president of the European Council, "there are many tools" at his disposalThe leaders of EU member states can amend the procedural rules by a "simple majority" vote to appoint a new president in advance. However, Belgium's RTBF radio station quoted experts as refuting Michel's defense, saying that important leaders such as the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy usually take office on December 1, and there is no precedent for one of them to leave office six months early, so the EU does not have any plan in fact.
Criticism poured in
According to Reuters, Michel's announcement of her resignation comes at a critical moment in the EU's foreign policy, as well as issues such as military aid to Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, which has drawn criticism. Sophie Intellfeld, a Dutch MP from the center-left party Risorgath Europe in the European Parliament, accused Michel of being "the captain who abandoned ship in a storm" on social media platform X, saying that "if you are so indifferent to the fate of the European Union, how can you be credible as a candidate [for MEPs]?".”
Alberto Alemanno, a professor of law at HEC Paris in France, wrote on X that Michel's determination to run for the European Parliament and pursue his political career was "selfish and irresponsible". He also criticized Michel for being "the least efficient European Council president ever, because he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are always in a never-ending battle", thus weakening the EU's position on the international stage. Von der Leyen's term, which is also set to end in November, has not publicly spoken about whether she will seek re-election.
The Belgian newspaper Standard accused Michel's decision of "pure calculation": two wars have taken over the whole world, and the EU is not without nothing to do. Michelle's desire to enter the European Parliament as an "ordinary parliamentarian" is also hard to believe. The ambitious Michel will not rest on his laurels and wants to continue competing at "the highest level in Europe," the review said. Belgian radio station RTBF believes that Michel made this decision because he coveted another, more powerful position, the chairman of the European Investment Bank. However, according to Politico News, Michel's victory in the European Parliament is almost "certain", and he may try to run for the presidency of the European Commission. Michelle's spokesman did not confirm or deny the possibility.
"Terrible prospects".
The Financial Times said on the 8th that according to the original plan, next month's EU emergency summit will pass the long-scheduled plan B aid funds provided to Ukraine, but if Orban becomes the new president of the European Council, everything will become full of questions. An EU diplomat said that given the dire prospect of bringing Orban to power, Michel's resignation could force the leaders of the other 26 member states to speed up their work and finalize the first candidate by July. The candidates listed include Portuguese Prime Minister Costa, Danish Prime Minister Fraser Riksen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, EU Judicial Commissioner Rennedal, Dutch tycoon Timmermans and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, among others.
According to the BBC, Orban is seen as Russia's "closest ally" in the EU and the only EU leader to meet with Putin face-to-face last year. Last month, Orban said he was likely to continue to block future financial aid to Ukraine after vetoing the European Union's €50 billion aid package for Ukraine.
Explaining his decision, Michelle said that 2024 is a very important election year for Europe and the rest of the world. He will advocate the need to strengthen the EU's power in security and defense, "we need to develop this pillar if we want to be influential in the long term".
Russia Today TV 8**, Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said: "Orban's position on a number of issues, including Russia, is very different from the current foreign policy line in Europe. His presidency of the Council of Europe is a red line for the entire West. I think the EU will do everything to prevent Orban from taking this post. ”
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