European Council President Charles Michel has reportedly left EU leaders scrambling after making a major announcement. The former Prime Minister of Belgium, who has been leading the Council since 2019, announced on Saturday his decision to run in the European elections this summer.
Mr Michel told Belgian newspaper De Standaard: “If I get elected, I will take my seat. The European Council can anticipate and name a successor by end-June, early July.” Mr Michel will run as the top candidate for his Belgian centre-right Movement Reformateur (MR) party, part of the liberal group in Europe.
A victory by Mr Michel at the European elections would open up two scenarios. The first would see EU leaders quickly finding an agreement over the successor of the Belgian politician.
Alternatively, if they failed to fill the vacancy before the end of June, the next rotating president of the Council of the European Union taking up the post on July 1 would need to lead the meetings.
This scenario is unlikely to please many in Brussels, as from July to December it will be up to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to cover the role of rotating president.
Most EU leaders are unlikely to want the staunch Eurosceptic gain any outsize influence over the Council.
Mr Orban has been at loggerheads with Brussels multiple times over the years. Most recently, tensions between the EU and Hungary have erupted over the country’s judicial independence and aid for war-torn Ukraine.
Seen as one of the European leaders closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Orban didn’t bar the decision taken in December by EU leaders to start talks over the accession of Moldova and Ukraine to the European Union.
Hours later, however, he blocked the £43billion (€50bn) aid package for Ukraine – despite the nation being in dire need of foreign military and humanitarian support to keep facing Russia on the battlefield.
The Hungarian leader has been a long-term thorn in the EU’s side also over issues concerning immigration and budget. The 2024 European Parliament election is scheduled to be held between June 6 and 9.
European leaders are scheduled to meet first on June 17 and then again at their regular summit held on June 27 and 28, during which EU leaders will likely try to strike an agreement on a replacement for Mr Michel.
The Belgian politician, who was due to remain in his post until November, is the first sitting Council president to become a candidate in the European parliamentary election.
