After the European Parliament elections, the European Parliament will also elect the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen can stay for another 5 years, there are those who would like to see another candidate, and expect a change in direction. There is no doubt that dramatic events have occurred in the world since the election of the current president in 2019.
Macron has reinvigorated himself again
French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly supported von der Leyen for 5 years, but now believes that in the current situation it would be better to have an experienced and practical head of the Commission, with less politicization. It has a candidate who has already held important positions: Mario Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank, who later became Italy's prime minister. Macron on this issue Bloomberg According to him, he has already negotiated with the current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who probably will not be opposed to her compatriot becoming President of the European Commission.
Important questions require a different approach
Macron believes that there are issues currently on the agenda that require less politicization and stronger consideration of public interests, with less division between member states. This applies to climate policy as well as relations with the USA or EU trade relations (for example with China).
It is clear that Macron has been acting more decisively on European issues recently, but France's role is inevitable in any case, because nominations for important positions are made in background negotiations, where larger member states often have greater influence, unlike Many other decisions, where everyone has one vote in the small country from Luxembourg to Greater Germany.
The decisive party alliance
However, according to current forecasts, the EPP will be the strongest party organization in the European Parliament, so it is most likely to nominate the President of the European Commission, but it could easily happen that they favor change as well. Mario Draghi enjoys great power after brilliantly managing the debt crisis of some eurozone countries, and as Prime Minister of Italy, he was able to balance the debt-ridden Italian economy and even start the long-awaited economic growth.
A broader consensus may be needed
What can be said against Draghi is that he is 76 years old, although it can be said that he is almost young compared to the American presidential candidates. The decision is ultimately made by Parliament, with the winner needing an absolute majority, and von der Leyen actually won by just 9 votes in 2019, so the situation may be more acute now, and it may be realistic to consider an alternative candidate. Which, if possible, are more widely accepted.
