EU Bytes
Former Executive Director of the European Casino Association and current Managing Director of Time & Place Consulting, Glenn Cezanne provides the latest info on what’s trending and what’s coming down the pipeline in Brussels and around the EU.
Glenn Cezanne Alessandro Calissi
T
he heat has been on. No, not (only) because of the weather, but politically; it has been quite a rollercoaster in the EU. From the selection of the new President of the European Commission to the cordon sanitaire (literally “sanitary cordon” in French) in the European Parliament vis-à-vis the far-right parties. Here a tale of
democracy put together with the invaluable help of my esteemed colleague Alessandro Calissi (who you will remember from the last article).
Viel Glück Ursula!
Former German Defence Minister von der Leyen has won a tight confirmation vote in the EU Parliament, after having been nominated in a tense non-stop 48 hours meeting of the EU Council (heads of the EU Member States). It will be up to her to lead the European Commission from November 1st, the first woman ever to hold this post. But how did she do it? It all starts from the most fragmented European
Parliament ever elected, as well as from the preferences of a few EU leaders regarding the Spitzenkandidaten (“Lead-Candidate”) supported by the respective political families in the EU parliament, and on the other hand, the other EU leaders’ suspicions of the Lead-Candidate process as a whole. Despite president Tusk’s commitment to dialogue with the EU parliament political families, and regardless of the (partially) successful attempt by the main Spitzenkandidaten (“lead-candidates”) to stage a public electoral campaign, with public debates and appearances across the EU, the final name seems, as many say, selected in the “dark room” behind the EU Council closed door. Like the rabbit pulled out from the magician’s hat, von der Leyen’s nomination was welcomed by MEPs with initial surprise, immediately followed by dismay for being duped by an old trick. The centre right (and biggest political group) EPP’s Spitzenkandidat Manfred Weber already knew that his name was out of the race, but this did not prevent party infighting. It was a hard hit for the Socialists too, who saw current EU Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans’ candidacy being defeated by the pressures of the like of Hungarian Viktor Orban and Polish Mateusz Morawiecki, particularly opposed to Timmerman’s strong stance for Rule of Law in the Union.
30 AUGUST 2019
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