Brussels, 14/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - Potential candidates are becoming more numerous within the EPP grouping (European People's Party) to become the next president of the European Commission, but Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier (of France) has again indicated that he would like to be head of the EPP's list for the election campaign, thus becoming the EPP's candidate for Commission president.
In an interview with the Figaro on Monday 13 January, Michel Barnier said that every big political family would be choosing its candidate for president of the Commission, who would be put to the vote. This is real progress, said Barnier, adding that his name was being put forward in this connection. He said he was prepared to commit himself if chosen by the EPP, adding that the next five years must see Europe regaining the initiative on industrial strategy, infrastructure policy, the single market, security and immigration.
A few days ago, it was the former head of Eurogroup and former prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, who expressed interest in becoming Commission president, joining the list of likely candidates who have not yet made an official bid, namely Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The two openly declared candidates, Barnier and Juncker, will not be campaigning as such, explained Barnier. If selected by his party in March, in Dublin, he said, he would start campaigning but would not actually stand as an MEP and certainly not head of the EPP list for the European elections and he would not stand as an MEP even if he were not able to convince the EPP to have him as their candidate for Commission president. Juncker's circle explained last week that it was not necessary for candidates for president of the Commission to stand as an MEP, as far as Juncker is concerned, but a source said on Friday 10 January that if Martin Schultz or Guy Verhofstadt were to stand as candidates for the Commission presidency, then they would also have to stand as MEPs.
This year is the first time that the result of the political parties at the European elections (from 22 to 25 May 2014) will have to be taken into account when designating the head of the European Commission and this is why the political parties have decided to have a head of list to lead the electioneering in order to make the selection process more democratic. The choice of candidate remains, however, largely in the hands of the Council of Ministers. (SP/transl.fl)