Elections on the renewal of the European Parliament will be held in six months, but the race for the main power positions in the EU institutions, called “top jobs”, has already begun, thanks to the early departure of the European Parliament. European Council President Charles Michel. The Belgian politician has announced that he is running for membership in the European Parliament, and this may reveal the cards of governments and parties in advance. One of the names that will replace Michel is Mario Draghi. But the former ECB chief could complicate the plans of Giorgia Meloni, who is aiming for a prestigious position in the future EU Commission. Perhaps he will be appointed to one of his ministers: Francesco Lollobrigida or Raffaele Fitto. This could trigger a change of government.
Draghi’s shadow
But let’s go in order. The day after Michel’s announcement, financial times He withdrew the hypothesis that Draghi would take the top spot, a hypothesis that had already been circulating in recent weeks. The former Italian prime minister is thought to be in pole position to replace Michel even before July, when the Belgian politician is likely to have to leave office to take a seat in the EU Parliament, according to European officials and diplomats interviewed by the British newspaper. However, it seems unlikely that Draghi will receive the support of his own government. This is due to Giorgia Meloni’s ambition: the Prime Minister demonstrates the weight of consensus (according to polls, the FdI will be among the parties with the most MPs in the next European Chamber) and the personal relationships built in Europe (including those with the European Parliament) He wants to put it. President of the Ursula von der Leyen Commission.
What are the best jobs
To better understand the picture, we need to look at the dynamics that lead to appointments to “best positions.” Historically, there have been 5 main positions in the EU institutions: the presidents of the Commission, Council and Parliament, the High Representative for Foreign Policy and the governor of the European Central Bank. While he has recently assumed the presidency of the EIB, that is, the European Investment Bank, there are those who have also added the presidency of the Eurogroup to this.
ECB, Eurogroup and EIB are games already played. The other four top positions are expected to be appointed, in the practice fashionable in Brussels, agreed in a single package at the end of complex negotiations aimed at finding a balance between the demands of national governments and those of the European parties.
Parliament summit
Until now, the EU’s three majority parties essentially shared important positions in Europe: the People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists (PSE) and the Liberals (Renewal). The novelty of the next elections may be the raid of the conservatives (ECR) led by Meloni. According to the latest polls, the current majority trio is expected to retain control of the European Chamber, albeit by a few seats. The EPP should remain the leading party in Europe in terms of votes and MPs and therefore have the right to nominate one of its members for the Strasbourg presidency or to give a seat to the socialists (the second force) in exchange for compromise. others best jobs.
The most respected name at the moment is Roberta Metsola, the current president and admired by many beyond her party, the EPP. The practice followed so far has been a transitional practice between popular and socialists for this position, but more recently socialist Martin Schulz has broken this rule, creating a precedent that could benefit the Maltese.
Commission
Metsola’s name has also been on the agenda for a while due to her colleague from the party, von der Leyen, assuming the presidency of the Commission. The German has yet to confirm or deny his interest in a second term. Few think he wants to step aside, but the race for reconfirmation is uphill. In his view, paradoxically, the problems lie within the EPP rather than outside it. In fact, conservatives may play in his favor: many in Brussels claim that Meloni is among the main sponsors of the “Ursula bis Commission”.
However, Von der Leyen needs to convince liberals, starting with her own socialists: In Germany, the People’s Party is in opposition after Angela Merkel’s long term, and socialist Olaf Scholz is at the head of the executive. This is why the Chancellor has not blocked the centre-left’s efforts to reach the top of the Commission: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is mentioned, for example, as well as Luxembourg’s Nicolas Schmit, the former Employment Commissioner. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa or Spanish minister Teresa Ribeira.
Even the liberals, as a third wheel, may try to install one of their own men (or women) as Commission president, taking advantage of a possible conflict between the EPP and the PSE. There is the current EU executive vice-president, Danish Margrethe Vestager, as well as Frenchman Therry Breton (who, however, also suffers from declining consensus among his main sponsor, the Elysée, as well as Emmanuel Macron). The fact that France already has ECB president Christine Lagarde).
Recommendation
The chairmanship of the Commission is normally elected in parallel with the chairmanship of the Council. Michel’s early departure could change the practice. For the Council, it has been talked about for a while that a name should have weight in the European political environment (and the basic requirements include being the head of state or government of 27 countries). A year ago, there were people who brought up the Angela Merkel hypothesis, and recently Draghi brought it up. However, both appear to be out of the running. There are (almost) many in Brussels who see former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte (part of the liberals) as the ideal candidate for this post.
Italy?
Prime Minister Meloni made it clear at the year-end press conference that he wanted to aim for a key position in the Commission. The highest position, excluding the Presidency, is High Representative for Foreign Policy, a quasi-figure between the Commission and the Council, which Italy currently holds between 2014 and 2019, along with Federica Mogherini.
Leaving aside the Commissioner for the Economy, currently occupied by former Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and therefore subject to a possible rotation to other coasts, Meloni (given hot files such as the ITA and MPS) could take the Contest seats or the Internal Market, or even Energy . One of the names suitable for the post of commissioner is certainly Raffaele Fitto, a three-time member of the European Parliament and Meloni’s “special envoy” in Europe. There is also the Agriculture portfolio, where the prime minister can play the card of minister Francesco Lollobrigida.
But Meloni’s ambitions could be scaled back if Italy gets a deal. best jobs: In this case, the prime minister will have less room for maneuver in the selection of commissioners and portfolio negotiations. It is also for this reason that if Draghi’s hypothesis were concrete, Meloni would hardly support it.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
