Victor Orban could take over the position of president of the European Council. A possible scenario after Charles Michel's ad
European Council President Charles Michel will run as a candidate for the European parliamentary election in June, he told three Belgian media outlets, Report informs via POLITICO.
A spokesperson for Michel confirmed the announcement to POLITICO.
Michel plans to take up his seat in the European Parliament mid-July if he’s elected, meaning EU leaders will have to agree quickly on a successor for his vacated Council post. If they don’t, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose country will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July, would lead the meetings — a broker-role normally undertaken by the European Council president.
It’s the first time a sitting Council president will be a candidate in a European parliamentary election. Michel would normally have stayed on in the job until the end of November, when the new College of Commissioners would be installed. While Michel’s move is legally kosher, it piles extra pressure on European leaders, as they usually have more time for wheeling and dealing during the great top-job carve up that always comes after the five-yearly EU ballots.
