EU(TOP)-NOTCH ELECTION INSIDER

12.01.2024

Council President Charles Michel runs for parliamentary mandate

07.01.2024. The Belgian Charles Michel, President of the European Council since 2019, is running for a seat in the European Parliament in the European elections as the lead candidate for the French-speaking liberal party Mouvement Réformateur (MR, RENEW). If elected, Michel would have to resign as President of the Council. He has already announced that he would resign from his post, which is due to expire at the end of November 2024, as early as mid-July 2024 when he would accept his mandate as an elected MEP.

Michel had prevailed in an internal party dispute against the incumbent Belgian EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. Reynders, who is now only in third place on the list, therefore has little chance of entering the European Parliament: The MR, which is only running in Wallonia, can probably win a maximum of two seats in the European elections.

Michel's decision puts the heads of state and government of the EU Member States under time pressure: if they have not appointed a successor to Michel by the beginning of July 2024, the head of government of the country holding the presidency of the Council of Europe on 01.07.2024 would automatically become President of the Council. At that time, this would be the Eurosceptic Hungarian head of state Viktor Orban. Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party (EPP), has already called for Orban to be prevented from taking on a "central role" as a result of the European elections.

Reynders aims to become Secretary General of the Council of Europe for Human Rights

10.01.2024. Belgian EU Commissioner Didier Reynders is now seeking a job outside the EU: he is running for Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the international human rights organisation based in Strasbourg. This is Reynders' second attempt to win the post of Secretary General. In 2019, he was defeated by Marija Pejčinović Burić from Croatia. Reynders originally wanted to be a member of the new EU Commission again. However, he had to give up this option as his party rival Charles Michel is standing as the lead candidate for the Mouvement Réformateur in the European elections. The Belgian government supports Reynders' candidature as Secretary General. In addition to Reynders, there are two other candidates: the former Estonian Minister of Culture Indrek Saar and the former President of the Swiss Federal Council Alain Berset. The next Secretary-General must be elected by a majority of the 46 Member States in the vote in June 2024.

RENEW leader Séjourné becomes French foreign minister

11.01.2024: Stéphane Séjourné, current leader of RENEW Europe and member of the French Renaissance party, has been appointed France's new Foreign Minister. His appointment is part of the recent government reshuffle necessitated by the resignation of former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne (for more information, see page 3). In an internal email to the RENEW parliamentary group, he said that he had not taken the decision lightly, but that it was now time to serve his country and the EU as Foreign Minister. Séjourné was supposed to lead the European election campaign for Renaissance, but it is now unclear who will take over. Clément Beaune and Olivier Véran, who both lost ministerial posts in the government reshuffle, are being mooted as potential names. Within the parliamentary group, the First Vice-President, the Dutchman Malik Azmani (VVD), will now take over the chairmanship on an interim basis.

RENEW leader Séjourné warns of a shift to the right in the European elections

09.01.2024. Stéphane Séjourné, still in his role as group leader of RENEW, warned of a shift to the right in Europe: there is a risk that the parties supporting Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will lose their majority in Parliament. This could make the EU ungovernable.

According to Séjourné, RENEW wants to continue to be the "kingmaker" group in deciding who becomes Commission President after the European elections. However, RENEW would still need at least 90 to 100 MEPs for this. Talks are currently being held with "some" delegations of the EPP group. Background: RENEW fears that EPP leader Weber could cooperate more closely with the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) after the European elections and is endeavouring to attract EPP MEPs who are willing to switch. Séjourné ruled out formal cooperation between RENEW, the EPP and the ECR.

At the same time, he announced that a manifesto on growing populism and nationalism would be published shortly. A platform has also been established with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the European Democratic Party and Renaissance to prepare for the European elections and agree on possible lead candidates. The nomination deadline is 29.02.2024.

Séjourné did not comment on rumours that Charles Michel could become RENEW's lead candidate in the elections. However, he welcomes the fact that Michel is running as an MEP and will play an important role in RENEW. In Séjourné's opinion, the Liberals should put forward their own candidates for all top EU posts. In addition to Michel, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Luxembourg's former Prime Minister Xavier Bettel are considered to be interested candidates.

Commissioner Gentiloni to return to Italy after the European elections

11.01.2024. Italian EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni will not stand in the European Parliament elections, thereby taking himself out of the running for the top EU posts: he will return to Italy after the elections in June 2024. It was highly unlikely that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would have nominated him for another term in Brussels anyway. However, his name is circulating in Brussels as a possible top candidate for the European centre-left parties. So far, Luxembourg Commissioner Nicolas Schmit is the only candidate for the lead candidacy of the Party of European Socialists (S&D). The S&D will officially elect its number one in Rome in March 2024. When asked whether this was the end of his political career, the former Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gentiloni replied: "I will never retire." Francesco Lollobrigida could become the future Italian EU Commissioner. He is the Minister of Agriculture and brother-in-law of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d'Italia FdI, ECR). According to unconfirmed reports, Meloni would like to give him the post of EU Commissioner for Agriculture. However, former Prime Minister Mario Draghi is also being discussed for a top position within the EU. As the former President of the European Central Bank (ECB), he could apply for the presidency of the European Council or the Commission.

Malta names possible Commissioner

11.01.2024. Chris Fearne has been appointed as Malta's next EU Commissioner as part of a government reshuffle. He will replace Helena Dalli after the European elections. Fearne could be a candidate for the post of Health Commissioner due to his long experience in the health sector. Fearne is currently retaining his position as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, but is changing his responsibilities: instead of Minister of Health, he is now Minister for EU Funds, Social Dialogue and Consumer Protection.

EPP politicians must apply for the lead candidacy by 21.02.2024

The potential lead candidates of the European People's Party (EPP) for the European elections must submit their application by 21.02.2024. The EPP electoral congress in Bucharest on 06. and 07.03.2024 will decide who will represent the party as number one in the European elections. EPP leader Manfred Weber declared that they would support Ursula von der Leyen if she wanted to become President of the European Commission again.

European Democratic Party adopts its election manifesto

The European Democratic Party (EDP) will formally confirm its manifesto at the party congress on 18.02.2024 in Milan. The EDP is pro-European, close to Macron and a member of the RENEW Group. In its election programme, the party advocates changing the EU treaties, abolishing the right of veto, giving the EU new own resources and strengthening the European Parliament. At the same time, the number of Commissioners should be reduced. The EDP is also in favour of a democratically elected President of the EU. To make this possible, the offices of President of the Commission and President of the Council should be merged.

European Parliament discusses adjustments to its Rules of Procedure

11.01.2024. A working group of the European Parliament is discussing new internal rules to ensure a balanced composition of parliamentary committees and to combat harassment. When it comes to parity, the working group wants to ensure a minimum balance in all parliamentary committees: each committee should be obliged to reflect the percentage of each gender in the entire parliament. The permitted deviation should not exceed ten per cent.

In order to prevent harassment of all kinds, Parliament is to incorporate into its rules of procedure the content of the Bureau's decision of July 2023, which provides for mandatory training on this topic.

The working group is also focussing on defining the new ethical guidelines adopted in November 2023 for everyday practice. These rules deal, among other things, with the treatment of certain informal groups of MPs and the waiver of parliamentary immunity. Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs had also spoken out in favour of clarifying this last point.

MEMBER STATES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Germany: New party aiming for European elections

On 08.01.2024, the party spectrum in Germany expanded. The alliance Sahra Wagenknecht - for Reason and Justice (NI) was founded in Berlin. The movement's first major goal is to take part in the European elections. The former member of the Bundestag for the Left Party, Fabio De Masi, is to lead the European election campaign together with the former Mayor of Düsseldorf, Thomas Geisel. 

Germany: The CDU and CSU parliamentary groups position themselves for the European elections

The CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag made clear demands for the 2024 European elections at its traditional winter retreat from 06. to 08.01.2024 in Seeon Monastery. In its resolution paper, the parliamentary group calls for, among other things, a significant reduction in the size of the EU Commission and its civil service. The number of EU Commissioners should be reduced from the current 27 to seven in the future. Member States without traditional EU Commissioners are to be represented by junior Commissioners instead. The CSU also wants to critically examine the number and structure of EU authorities and agencies. Another key concern of the party is the official end of the EU accession process for Turkey.

At its closed meeting on 12. and 13.01.2024, the CDU's Federal Executive Committee called for a Lisbon Strategy 2.0 in the "Heidelberg Declaration": it should increase the EU's competitiveness and trigger a new economic dynamic. Other key points of the "Heidelberg Declaration" are an intensified internal market and rules-based free trade. A European nuclear defence shield should be developed for the joint expansion of European foreign and security policy. In addition, the European border agency Frontex should be developed into a genuine border police force.

Germany: SPD parliamentary group presents its plans for Europe

The SPD parliamentary group also presented ambitious plans at its annual conference on 11. and 12.01.2024. The parliamentary group wants to create uniform rules for workers from countries outside the European Union through a common European immigration law.

In order to achieve this goal, the German approach should form the basis of a new European regulation. The immigration of skilled workers must always be linked to binding migration partnerships with the countries of origin: "Joint agreements with countries of origin that have orderly access to training and the labour market in Europe can make irregular migration routes appear significantly less attractive."

In addition, the SPD is calling for greater financial independence for the EU through new original European own resources. In addition, all decisions should in future be taken by qualified majority in order to make the EU more capable of acting.

France: New Prime Minister Attal

Following the resignation of former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on 08.01.2024, 34-year-old Gabriel Attal has taken over as head of government. The conservatives (Les Républicains) in the French parliament had recently refused to approve important government reform projects.

Attal now faces the challenge of forming a broad alliance of supporting parties in order to ensure the government's ability to act. This is particularly important for President Emanuel Macron: according to current poll figures, Marine Le Pen's party, Rassemblement National (ID), could become the strongest force in France in the European elections.

France: Rassemblement National fine-tunes its campaign for the European elections

The Rassemblement National (ID) party, led by Jordan Bardella in the European elections, is launching its European election campaign at a meeting in Marseille on 03.03.2024. On 15.01.2024, the party will present the main features of its manifesto, with the details to be finalised by March 2024. According to the decisions taken so far, the party programme covers a broad spectrum: from the resettlement of illegal migrants to the construction of wind turbines.

France: Communists present priorities for European elections

The French Communist Party presented its core demands for the European election campaign on 10.01.2020. In particular, it wants to defend domestic industry and protect French workers. The 27-year-old Léon Deffontaines leads the list for the European elections.

Italy: Will Meloni run in the European elections?

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d'Italia / ECR) is considering running in the European elections herself in order to achieve an "overwhelming result" for her party: "I have not yet decided whether I will run in the European elections. I need to find out whether my candidacy would affect my work as President of the Council of Ministers."

Meloni's candidacy would put her two coalition partners, the Lega (ID) and Forza Italia (EPP), under pressure. This applies in particular to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, whose Forza Italia party has been steadily losing appeal since the death of Silvio Berlusconi. Tajani himself avoided the question of his own candidacy. Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega (ID), on the other hand, ruled out running in the European elections.

Belgium: Vlaamse Alliantie wants to leave the ECR

The Flemish Prime Minister and leader of the Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA, ECR), Jan Jambon, announced on 09.01.2024 that he would be leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group: He and his party no longer felt completely at home in the group. However, he left open which political grouping N-VA could join instead. The party currently has three MEPs in the European Parliament.

Austria: MEP Sarah Wiener no longer wants to run for the Greens

Sarah Wiener, Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Green Party (GREENS/EFA), will no longer stand in the 2024 European elections: She wants to focus more intensively on the non-profit Sarah Wiener Foundation.

Wiener has been a member of the European Parliament since 2019. Her core issues have included the fight against industrial food production and campaigning for local, sustainable agriculture.

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(Image of Chris Fearne: https://health.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hon_Chris_Fearne-1024x435.png)