Enlarge image
President of Parliament Sassoli: No extension of the term of office
Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA
That was it for David Sassoli: The Italian will not get an extension of his term as President of the European Parliament.
According to SPIEGEL information, the Social Democrats withdrew their support for a renewed candidacy for the Italian in a parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday evening.
This clears the way for the Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola, who was recently nominated by the Group of the European People's Party (EPP) to succeed Sassoli.
The main reason for the action of the Social Democrats was above all the lack of chances for Sassoli's candidacy:
According to insiders, the liberal Renew Europe group recently signaled that it did not want to vote for Sassoli.
Even the Greens would hardly have preferred the 65-year-old Italian to the 39-year-old Metsola, especially since she would be the first woman in almost 20 years on the post.
There are "no circumstances" under which the S&D could win the presidency, said parliamentary group leader Iratxe García Pérez, according to participants at the meeting in Strasbourg.
Sassoli, who was also present, also admitted that.
The risk is too great for a hopeless candidacy
The Social Democrats have decided to respect the EPP's agreement with the Christian Democrats.
Both groups had agreed in writing with the Liberals that the Social Democrats would receive the parliamentary presidency in the first half of the legislative period from 2019 to 2024 and the EPP's turn in the second half.
Sassoli nevertheless sought to extend his term of office.
The arguments of the S&D parliamentary group: Because of the corona crisis, Sassoli had barely been able to distinguish himself, and after the loss of the parliamentary presidency none of the top jobs in Brussels would be in the hands of social democrats - although they rule in just as many EU countries after the recent electoral successes like the EPP.
However, EPP parliamentary group leader Manfred Weber (CSU) had threatened never to conclude a deal on the parliamentary presidency with the social democrats if they should terminate the agreement again after 2017.
In the long run, this could have cost the Social Democrats access to the office.
One did not want to risk that for a hopeless fight for Sassoli's candidacy, according to the S&D faction.
With Metsola, another top job in Brussels is now going to the EPP.
The head of the EU Commission is the CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen, the European Central Bank is headed by the French conservative Christine Lagarde.
The EU Council President is the Belgian liberal Charles Michel.
Weber gains power
Should Metsola be elected as expected at the plenary session of Parliament in mid-January, at 39 years old she would not only be the youngest President of Parliament to date, but also the first representative of a small state like Malta to hold this post.
Metsola is therefore also considered Weber's candidate, since she could hardly have become a presidential candidate without the support of the CDU / CSU group.
For a long time Weber was himself the next President of Parliament.
He had won the 2019 European elections as the EPP's top candidate and, according to Parliament's will, should have been President of the Commission.
The heads of state and government then enthroned Ursula von der Leyen, and the parliamentary presidency was seen as a consolation for Weber.
Weber decided to remain group leader and also to become President of the EPP.
The post becomes vacant because the current incumbent Donald Tusk returns to Poland as head of the opposition.
Weber would thus at least partially succeed in making a comeback after the bitter defeat in the fight for the leadership of the commission.
As chairman of the largest parliamentary group in the EU Parliament, with a President by his grace and, moreover, as EPP boss, Weber would be one of the most powerful figures in Brussels - especially since the EPP is no longer in any larger EU country after the electoral defeat of CDU member Armin Laschet Government leads.
As EPP President, he would also be in charge of the procedure in the next European elections when selecting the top candidate from the party family - or the candidate who might be called Ursula von der Leyen.
Weber could then advance to become a queen maker not only in Parliament but also in the Commission.
