Yahoo Finance Barnier rules himself out of race for EU's top job – but could still end up with it
EU Brexit chief Michel Barnier has ruled himself out of the race for the bloc’s top job, but he could still end up with it because of the bizarre process used to fill the role.
There will be a vacancy for European Commission president next October because incumbent Jean-Claude Juncker has said he has no appetite for a second term.
Barnier’s profile-raising position as EU Brexit negotiator saw him become the early favourite to succeed Juncker.
That prospect has become less likely, but still not impossible.
Barnier announced on Friday that he won’t put himself forward to become the official lead candidate of the centre-right EPP group at the group’s conference in Helsinki next month.
In a letter to EPP president Joseph Daul, Barnier said he had taken the “difficult decision” not to run in order to see through Brexit negotiations until their conclusion.
“We are in the final stretch of a serious and complex negotiation on the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom. It is my duty to remain engaged with all my energy and determination,” the French politician wrote in his mother tongue.
I have decided today not to run for the nomination as the @EPP’s European elections lead campaigner at #EPPHelsinki.
It is my duty and responsibility to continue the #Brexit negotiations right to the end. pic.twitter.com/yc3g5T3aTQ
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 28, 2018
That means that he wouldn’t be the EPP’s representative in the so-called ‘spitzenkandidaten’ process, which sees each European political group put forward a candidate for the post of European Commission president ahead of the European parliament elections.
In theory, the lead candidate of the political group which ends up with most MEPs should become the next commission president and that’s how Juncker got the job in 2014.
The policy was introduced in order to counter one of the main criticisms of the EU – that its political leaders are unelected bureaucrats.
But EU rules actually say that the European Council, which is made up of heads of government like prime minister Theresa May, should nominate a candidate for MEPs to approved “taking account of the results of the European Parliament election.”
That means it is still possible that somebody who was not a lead candidate of one of the political groups could be nominated for the job in the four months between the European elections next May and Juncker’s departure.
And Barnier is tipped as a possible post-election consensus candidate if the lead candidate of the winning group – likely to be the EPP based on current polls – faces resistance from MEPs or EU heads of government.
Manfred Weber, the German MEP who leads the EPP group in the European parliament is favourite to become the group’s lead candidate, but has upset many controversial positions on religion.
Barnier certainly leaves the door open to such a possibility in his letter, which emphasises that the only thing standing in his way of running is a diary clash between the business end of Brexit negotiations and the European election campaign.
“This commitment [to conclude Brexit talks] isn’t compatible with the calendar fixed by the EPP for the selection of their lead candidate in the European elections,” he writes.
Even if he doesn’t become commission president, it’s likely whoever wins the race will offer him another top EU job if he’s freed himself from Brexit negotiations by then.
MORE: One of Brexit’s biggest critics is standing for European Commission’s leadership
