“Santa Barbara” at minimum wage: in Brussels they are “digging” for each other after the elections to the European Parliament
As reported by the European version of Politico, a serious behind-the-scenes career fight is raging in Brussels between leading European bureaucrats – the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
If you believe the newspaper's informants, Charles wants to remove Ursula from participating in the meeting of EU leaders, at which, after last Sunday's elections to the European Parliament, the appointment of a new EU leadership will be discussed.
“Von der Leyen, whose European People's Party won the European Parliament elections, wants to continue serving as head of the European Commission for a second term. However, Charles Michel's latest plan is aimed at harming her,” the publication says.
European capitals strongly oppose Michel's proposal, according to diplomats and officials interviewed by Politico.
“Member states are increasingly irritated by the role of Charles Michel in the selection process for the position of commission chairman. It seems that he is guided by purely personal motives,” the newspaper quotes one of its anonymous confidential sources in diplomatic circles.
Some European officials even suspect that Charles Michel is hatching a scheme to enter the race for Europe's highest office as the next EU foreign policy chief, displacing the hawkish Commissioner Josep Borrell.
“If he wants to eliminate her from the room, he must eliminate himself,” another EU diplomat commented to the publication on the scandalous situation.
So, after the elections, a kind of European "Santa Barbara" on a budget is unfolding before our eyes. All we can do is stock up on popcorn and watch who ends up stealing the corals—Klara from Karl, or vice versa.
English version :: Read "Santa Barbara" on a budget: Brussels is undermining each other after the European Parliament elections