Charles Michel leaves post
Weber warns about Orban as a possible EU Council President
January 7, 2024, 9:10 p.m
EU Council President Michel is running for the European Parliament, which is why he is leaving his post early. If a successor is not found quickly, the office would be taken over by the country that chairs the EU Council of Ministers: Hungary with its Prime Minister Orban. A horror scenario for CSU vice-president Weber.
According to EPP leader Manfred Weber, the announced candidacy of EU Council President Charles Michel in the European elections must not destabilize the European institutions. It must be prevented that Hungary’s head of state Viktor Orban takes on a “central role” as a result of the election, said CSU deputy Weber at the retreat of CSU members of the Bundestag in Seeon Monastery in Upper Bavaria.
In July, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council of Ministers between the member states. If there is no successor to Michel as President of the European Council – the body of heads of state and government – by then, the meeting would initially be chaired by Orban. Orban has been known for his Euro-critical course for years.
Weber emphasized that he assumed that the stability and ability to reach consensus necessary for the work of the Council would be guaranteed even if Michel moved to the European Parliament. It is precisely for this reason that the President of the Council will remain in office beyond the dates of the reconstitution of the European Commission.
Michel: “Relatively easy to organize succession”
Michel announced on Saturday that he wanted to run in the European elections in June 2024. This also means that if he is elected, he will give up his position as President of the Council. After the elections – at the end of June and beginning of July – the EU heads of state and government could then discuss a successor to the post of Council President, said the Belgian. The country leaders would also have to decide when a successor would take office. “It is relatively easy to organize the successor,” he told the Belgian newspaper “Le Soir,” among others.
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. He wants to carry out the office until the members of Parliament are sworn in, which is planned for July 16th.