EU Council President Michel withdraws his candidacy for the European elections

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Charles Michel: The EU Council President announced that he would not use Facebook

Photo: JOHANNA GERON / REUTERS

EU Council President Charles Michel has withdrawn his candidacy for the upcoming European elections. The top politician wrote on Facebook on Friday evening that he did not want his candidacy to undermine the European project or be misused in any way to divide the European Council. He welcomes political criticism and every legitimate argument. But personal attacks increasingly overshadowed factual arguments.

At the beginning of the month, Michel announced that he would run in the European elections and enter the European Parliament. If elected, he would relinquish his position as Council President, it was said. After the elections, the EU heads of state and government could then discuss a successor to the post of Council President, the Belgian said at the time.

Personal interests first?

Michel's plans provoked strong criticism. According to EU rules, the head of state or government of the member state that currently holds the rotating EU Council Presidency would take over Michel's office by the end of November - and from July that is, of all people, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who took over after Russia's invasion of the EU Ukraine continues to have close ties to the Kremlin. Critics had accused former Belgian Prime Minister Michel of prioritizing personal interests.

The early announcement gave the European Council enough time to prepare a smooth transition in the European interest after the European elections, wrote Michel on Facebook. He will devote all his strength and determination to his current tasks until they are over.

“It is time for a new, worthy EU Council President”

The task of the EU Council President is to coordinate cooperation and summit meetings between EU countries. Michel took over the position in December 2019. After his re-election in 2022, his second term will end on November 30th of this year. The European elections will take place at the beginning of June.

The FDP's designated top candidate for the European elections, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, criticized Michel's withdrawal as "another U-turn" that was causing confusion. “His role is not self-promotion, but rather the representation of the member states and coordination,” she wrote on the platform X (formerly Twitter). "It's time for a new, worthy EU Council President."

hen/dpa/AFP