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The outgoing President of the European Council Donald Tusk symbolically handed over his powers on Friday 29 November to Charles Michel. The Belgian will take up his new duties Sunday, for 2 years and a half. November 30, 2019 also marks the end of Jean-Claude Juncker's term as head of the European Commission.
Donald Tusk briefly outlined the results of his five years at the head of the European Council, a mandate with a Hitchcock scenario, according to the former Polish Prime Minister: the rescue of Greece entangled in the financial crisis , the migratory tragedies in the Mediterranean , the proliferation of terrorist attacks and finally Brexit .
Donald Tusk leaves his post at the head of the European Council with the esteem, however, of the 28 capitals between which he has often managed to force a compromise. He will still be in the European landscape, in his new role as President of the EPP , the party of the traditional right, reports our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet .
Donald Tusk called for the maintenance of European unity when he handed over the reins, a task now falling to former Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who took up the baton and pledged to work towards a secure Europe. she, assertive and confident. Now it is up to him to demonstrate his own ability to construct compromises between the often conflicting priorities of governments.
The new president of the European Council, the Belgian Charles Michel, has promised a " confident and confident " Europe, leader in the fight against climate change, during his handover Friday with his predecessor Donald Tusk. In a short speech, after paying tribute to Donald Tusk, the former Belgian Prime Minister unveiled his priorities, notably to make Europe the " world leader in the green economy ". " We have to find a path that works for all countries, " he said.
In his farewells, Juncker's critics who target Macron
On the other side of the street, at the European Commission, no handover ceremony to Ursula Von der Leyen, only farewell to Jean-Claude Juncker, who also suffered the full force of the European crises during his tenure , a mandate he had presented as that of last chance.
" I'm hungry! Was the end of the short question-and-answer session during which he criticized Emmanuel Macron's killing of the spitzenkandidat system introduced in 2014 to designate the Commission President and he a tasty anecdote about listening to his mobile phone by the services of US Presidents Bill Clinton and French Jacques Chirac in 1997.
" The idea of not repeating the spitzenkandidat in 2019 was a mistake, " said Jean-Claude Juncker. " It was a small democratic advance and it was suppressed for obscure reasons ," he added. " I will have been the only one elected with this system, I will not have a successor, " he quipped. A criticism directly addressed to the French president, declared adversary of this system established by the political groups of the European Parliament to designate the president of the Commission. French President Emmanuel Macron rejected this system in 2019 and challenged Manfred Weber , the candidate nominated by the European People's Party who came first in Parliament in the European elections.