Charles Michel steps down as President of the European Council. He said this in an interview with the Belgian newspaper The standard. Michel wants to become party leader of his party the Mouvement Réformateur (MR) in the European elections in July. If he is elected, he wants to take a seat in the European Parliament and will resign from his position as President of the European Council.
According to the Belgian former prime minister, his work as council chairman cannot be combined with a seat in parliament. The departure of 48-year-old Michel, who has been chairman since 2019, comes six months earlier than planned. His mandate as President of the European Council ends in December. The European elections will take place from 6 to 9 June.
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In the interview, he dismisses criticism that he is leaving while wars are raging in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. “There are still six months before the first session of the new European Parliament. So no one can be surprised. My successor will be elected at the end of June or beginning of July. The second semester of 2024 is in any case a period of political transition, including in the Commission. That is democracy.”
He did not comment on his ambition in the interview with the Flemish newspaper. “I want to serve where I can be useful. I have no other ambitions.”