Among European Liberals, all agree that their head of the list, Margrethe Vestager, would make an excellent president of the future European Commission, given her proven competence as the current Commissioner for Competition.
But the prime ministers and other members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) considered, on Tuesday 28 May in Brussels, ahead of the informal post-European elections summit, that at this stage, it is the work programme and its priorities that must hold the attention of European leaders, and not the persons who will be appointed to key positions.
“Of course, we have our preferences, but today it is our priorities that matter, what we will focus on, a list of priorities like climate change, a stronger economy, migration, for example. Tonight [last night, editor's note], the discussion will focus on the content. The European Council is the strategy deciding body. Only then will the person best suited to deliver a targeted programme be chosen”, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, negotiator for his party, told reporters alongside his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel. He was speaking at the beginning of the Liberal Democrats for Europe's 'pre-summit'. Strong fiscal rules are also important, Rutte acknowledged in response to a question.
The Luxembourg Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, “of course” supports Margrethe Vestager, “a very strong and competent candidate”, but he too considered that “the ‘what’” [of the programme, editor's note] is “more important than the ‘who’".
Věra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice and Consumer Affairs, is on the same line: we should start with the content. Then, appoint “someone who will continue to fulfill the agenda from security to prosperity”. Her Estonian colleague, Digital Commissioner Andrus Ansip, supports the Spitzenkandidat idea but has shown himself to be flexible. It is important, he said, that the process be transparent and that it lead to “the right person at the right place”. Margrethe Vestager, “everyone has seen her in action and everyone recognises that she has done a good job to protect the interests of citizens at the international level”, he said.
Christian Lindner, President of the German FDP, “strongly supports” Ms Vestager, because she is a “formidable leader” and a “remarkable representative of European interests on the international scene”, but acknowledges that she will not necessarily be the President of the future Commission.
Ms Vestager is also supported by her colleague, the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, “because she is the best” and by the Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, also a member of Team Europe with Ms Vestager (see EUROPE 12219/3).
The latter, for her part, considered it “very difficult” to make any prognosis. “Everything is very open”, she said. The woman for whom parity between men and women in the Commission is very important considered that “there are women to choose from”.
The ALDE group chairman in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, opposed to the Spitzenkandidaten system as long as it is not embodied in transnational lists (EUROPE 12265/2), insisted that the Liberals' new strong position should have an impact in the negotiations. “We won forty seats. Our priority is based on this new deal, for a tough agreement” between the pro-European parties which will be able to have a large majority, he stressed. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)