Charles Michel, the President of the EU Council, will step down; potential successor is Hungary’s Orban
Charles Michel, the President of the Council of the European Union, intends to step down before the summer in order to run for office as a member of the European Parliament. Though his term in the current job doesn’t formally end until November, the Belgian politician plans to announce his early departure from the office prior to the June EU Parliament elections this year.
As per EU regulations, in the event of the Council president’s resignation, the head of the nation presently holding the EU presidency will assume the role until a majority of the 27 EU leaders pick the next president. Under this scenario, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, would temporarily take over as president in the event that Michel resigns without a replacement in place. Hungary is scheduled to take up the rotating six-month council presidency starting on July 1, 2024.
Steven Van Hecke, a professor of European politics at the University of Leuven, has criticized the action, claiming that Michel is putting his own interests ahead of those of European institutions. In addition, Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld charged him with “leaving the ship in the middle of a storm.”
President Michel has maintained, in spite of the criticism, that if there is the political will, there are means to stop Viktor Orbán from being the head of the Council. This year’s scheduled meetings of the leaders of the EU member states are set for June 17 and June 27–28, respectively, following the June 6–9 Parliamentary elections. Before taking over as head of the EU Council in 2019, Charles Michel was Belgium’s prime minister from 2014 to 2019.
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As per EU regulations, in the event of the Council president’s resignation, the head of the nation presently holding the EU presidency will assume the role until a majority of the 27 EU leaders pick the next president. Under this scenario, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, would temporarily take over as president in the event that Michel resigns without a replacement in place. Hungary is scheduled to take up the rotating six-month council presidency starting on July 1, 2024.
Steven Van Hecke, a professor of European politics at the University of Leuven, has criticized the action, claiming that Michel is putting his own interests ahead of those of European institutions. In addition, Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld charged him with “leaving the ship in the middle of a storm.”
President Michel has maintained, in spite of the criticism, that if there is the political will, there are means to stop Viktor Orbán from being the head of the Council. This year’s scheduled meetings of the leaders of the EU member states are set for June 17 and June 27–28, respectively, following the June 6–9 Parliamentary elections. Before taking over as head of the EU Council in 2019, Charles Michel was Belgium’s prime minister from 2014 to 2019.
