Race to replace EU Council president after Charles Michel steps down
- Former Belgian PM should leave office in November but will leave early to stand in the European parliament elections to be held in June
- EU summit is scheduled for just after elections. If EU leaders cannot find a successor by then, Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban could take job temporarily
European Council president Charles Michel announced on Sunday that he will step down early, setting off a race against time for EU leaders to find a successor for the key position.
The 48-year-old former Belgian prime minister has been organising EU summits and government meetings since 2019 and should leave office in November.
But he said he would leave early as he will stand in the European parliament elections to be held in June. Michel will be the head of the liberal Reformist Movement in the elections.
“Four years after starting my term as a European leader, it’s my responsibility to give an account of my work these past years and to propose a project for Europe’s future,” Michel said.
An EU summit is planned for just after the June 6-9 elections, and “at this moment it will have to decide when my successor will take up the job”, Michel said.