Brussels, 27/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European political parties need to be patient and not rush the European Council if they want the discussions on the next Commission President to go the way they want them to. As they had suggested, the Twenty-Eight, meeting informally in Brussels on Tuesday evening to assess the results of the elections of 25 May, were careful not to put forward any names to take over from José Manuel Barroso or make any pronouncements on the fate of Jean-Claude Juncker, the candidate of the European People's Party who has been asked by his peers to gather a majority behind him. Above all, they made it abundantly clear to the European Parliament that they had no intention of allowing their prerogatives, or the interpretation of the Lisbon Treaty on selecting the future EU heads, to be stolen from under the noses. They went no further than to give a mandate to the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, to start discussions on both the "future priorities of the EU and the future appointments".
"We all recognise the need to discuss the priorities and strategic agenda (of the future Commission); we did not have time to do so this evening, but certain orientations were discussed", such as "coming out of crisis, growth, competitiveness, economic and monetary union and climate change", Mr Van Rompuy explained after the meeting.
But for the time being, there is no question of agreeing on a name for the Presidency of the Commission. Or at least until the priorities for the next five years have been more clearly identified. "This is in line with the Treaty", Mr Van Rompuy said, "it is the European Council which must make a proposal" to the European Parliament (which must then vote in this President by absolute majority). "I will, of course, consult the parliamentary groups and I shall hold meetings with Jean-Claude Juncker", but the consultations will not be "with just one person", the Belgian official added.
This desire to discuss the substance as well as the form is shared by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. "Herman Van Rompuy will hold discussions on the programme, but also on the sharing out of posts", she said, speaking after the summit. Even at this early stage in the game, however, she warned that Jean-Claude Juncker is "not the only eligible candidate for the Commission". We need to "take our time over this process of appointing individuals in order to have a comprehensive picture. There are also other positions to fill: President of the Council, President of the Eurogroup", the Chancellor explained.
Also in a mood of caution, the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, who has never been thrilled at the idea of having a candidate imposed upon him by the European Parliament, said that the future Commission President could possibly "be one of the candidates put forward by the political groups", but that "that does not necessarily have to be the case". Mr Rutte argued that the main thing is to define the priorities, and then to select the candidate, "man or woman".
This is also the position of the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy. "Things will settle down reasonably. This is a process which takes time. The EP is not yet in place", he said after the summit. "The main thing is to lay down the priorities for the next five years, which are more important than deciding on the name", he added.
Could these stances to be to the liking of David Cameron, who is radically opposed to Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz and Guy Verhofstadt as Commission President, as he sees them as too federalist? In any case, the British Prime Minister kept his own counsel at the end of the summit. He went no further than to announce, upon his arrival in Brussels, that he would argue in favour of reform for an EU which has "got too big, too bossy, too interfering".
Nor was the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, looking for a decision as to José Manuel Barroso's successor. "I have always said that I was not in favour of the 'Spitzenkandidat' procedure, which knocks other potential candidates out of the race", he explained.
For his part, the French Socialist President, François Hollande, spoke of a "paradox". "I note that it was the EPP which won the election. I therefore propose that the President of the European Council examine whether the EPP's solution for the Commission Presidency is viable or not" and whether there is a "double majority, with a qualified majority of the Council, and a majority at the European Parliament". Should that double majority not exist, Mr Van Rompuy should then "examine whether Martin Schulz could have that double majority", he added. And "if not, we need to find a third name". However, there are "certain countries which do not want any of the names put forward (…), so it's up to them to find a solution and to be consistent with themselves".
The young Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, also called for consistency. Explaining that it did not come naturally to him to back a candidate from an opposing political family, even one from his own country, the Luxembourg Liberal said that he supported his countryman. Institutionally, however, "it is not the role of the Parliament to take the initiative. The Parliament has caught us short", Xavier Bettel said at the end of the evening. "This morning, the EP told us 'it's our candidate'. Normally, we negotiate, we agree on a candidate. It is very important that there is a balance", he went on to stress. (SP/MB/LC/EL/CG/JK/EH/IL/AN)