He will ultimately assume his functions until the end of his mandate.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel announced on Friday that he was giving up running for a seat in the European Parliament, a candidacy which would have forced him to leave his current position prematurely.
Less than three weeks ago, the 48-year-old Belgian official, who has chaired the meetings of heads of state or government of the 27 EU countries for four years, created a surprise by announcing that he intended to leave his functions from July, instead of November, to devote himself to the European campaign.
Scheduled for June 6 to 9 in the 27 EU countries, the European elections will lead to a renewal of the heads of the main EU institutions which must reflect the political balance resulting from the ballot.
Charles Michel's surprise announcement at the beginning of January shook up the calendar, raising a myriad of questions around his succession and, in turn, launching the race for "top jobs" in Brussels.
She had also sparked strong criticism, sometimes coming from her own political camp.
“The captain is leaving the ship in the middle of a storm,” said Dutch MEP Sophie in't Veld, from the centrist group Renew Europe.
An important summit in a few days
“I underestimated the scale and radicality of certain negative reactions,” explained Charles Michel in a text published on Facebook Friday evening, deploring that “hurtful attacks are increasingly taking precedence over factual arguments” .
“I do not want controversies to distract us from what is essential and harm the institution that I chair, and therefore the European project,” he added.
The announcement of his about-face comes a few days before a European summit in Brussels focused on financial aid to Ukraine which promises to be particularly difficult, in particular due to the threat of a veto from Hungary.
Some good common sense ahead of one of the most consequential #EUCO in EU history https://t.co/A6L39zvHtW
— Alberto Alemanno (@alemannoEU) January 26, 2024
“I will not be a candidate in the European elections,” continued Charles Michel, emphasizing his desire to carry out his current responsibilities until they expire at the end of November 2024.
“A common sense decision in the run-up to one of the most important summits in the history of the EU,” reacted on X Alberto Alemanno, professor of European law at HEC Paris.
The same generation as Macron
Belonging to the same generation of pro-European leaders as the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron and the Luxembourger Xavier Bettel, Charles Michel was chosen in 2019 to succeed the Pole Donald Tusk at the head of the European Council.
The position is prestigious but also perilous - often thankless - as the search for consensus requires difficult contortions.
Charles-Michels' time at the head of the Council (he will therefore leave office next November) will have been marked by his rivalry with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who has established herself on the international scene as the voice and face of Brussels.
If the latter has not yet said anything about her intentions, she seems well placed to continue with a second five-year term at Berlaymont, seat of the European executive.
“I will always be a fervent advocate of a democratic, strong, united Europe, and master of its destiny,” concluded the Belgian leader in his renunciation text.
The one who was the youngest Prime Minister of Belgium, however, remained evasive on “the nature and direction” of his “future commitment”.