Source: AFP
Belgian politician Charles Michel has announced that he will step down as president of the European Council after taking part in the European Parliament elections scheduled for June.
The surprise move will heighten speculation over who the next EU leaders will be as negotiations begin for a new round of top jobs in November.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of Germany, who like Michel was appointed to her post in 2019, has so far been silent on whether she plans to seek a second term.
As president of the Council, one of Michel’s main tasks has been overseeing EU summits that have become critical in seeking common responses to crises, including the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Four years after starting my term as European leader, it is my responsibility to give an account of my work in these last years and propose a plan for the future of Europe,” said Michel, the 48-year-old former Belgian prime minister. . Belgian media over the weekend.
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He said he would head the list of the liberal Reform Movement (MR), of which he is also a former president, and step down as council chairman in July.
“This means that I will continue my work as president of the European Council until I am sworn in as an MEP on July 16,” he said.
A Council meeting is scheduled for shortly after the general election, and “right now it will have to decide when my successor will take the job,” Michel said.
Parliamentary elections to be held June 6-9 in the 27 EU member states will elect 720 MEPs in total and will trigger intense negotiations for the leadership of European institutions, including EU commissioners and members of the European Council.
Source: AFP