Top chef: Emmanuel Macron's nine selection criteria

(B2) Our colleague from Evening, Jurek Kuczkiewicz, got a very interesting (exclusive) interview with Emmanuel Macron. The French president describes not only the European future, but also the future of the institutions after the European elections. We thus have a slightly clearer vision of the different criteria he intends to follow for the appointment of the future European 'Top Chef'

Even if the French president, true to himself, preaches for... several parishes, superimposing several names, we can distinguish a dozen or so criteria (numbered in square brackets below) which are useful for discerning the profiles of future leaders. Europeans according to him.

Parity, European commitment, strong legitimacy...

The first three criteria indicated by the Head of State are those of parity, political and European commitment, and 'strong legitimacy'.

« We need women and men [1] who know Europe well [2], have strong legitimacy [3] and correspond to the coalition project for progress [4] that I want [...]"

If the first two (parity, European commitment) are already formalized criteria, those of legitimacy and the majority of progress appear to be new.

...members of a coalition of progress

This fourth criterion, the leader of the party La République en Marche details it. It calls for the formation of a new coalition bringing together liberals and democrats (ALDE - En Marche), social democrats (S&D), ecologists (Greens) and certain Christian democrats, attempting in passing to fracture the axis of the grand coalition (EPP/S&D) currently in power at European level.

“Today the European Parliament has a majority between the Socialists and the Conservatives. We need a broader coalition, where the balance will be much better respected. We will have to work to build this coalition of progress and the future, with leaders like Charles Michel, Mark Rutte, Antonio Costa and others. [...] by working with the social democrats, with some of the Christian democrats and ecologists. »

The French president intends to break up the European People's Party (EPP), with the sidelining of its less progressive elements (Hungarian but also Austrian or Croatian). He also refuses any automatic link made between the EPP candidate in the European elections and the future head of the European Commission. "We must not make bad compromises of apparatus » he says, thus refusing any 'little European arrangement' (to paraphrase a Minister of Foreign Affairs).

Fifth criterion: no Spitzenkandidat

Emmanuel Macron thus repeats his refusal of the system of the heads of the list. " I do not feel committed to the system of "spitzenkandidaten ". " There are leaders among these candidates who have the qualities that I mentioned he said politely, so as not to insult the future. But we can see very well that it is not really towards where he turns his gaze. " There are also leaders around the Council table who can claim it »

Sixth criterion: necessary governmental experience for the European Commission

Emmanuel Macron above all reiterates his favorite criterion, that of reserving the post of President of the European Commission for a former leading European official... A criterion that has been respected so far (1), but which he extends to experience in the European level.

« In my view, experience at the highest level of government or the European Commission is undeniably an important criterion. »

NB: this criterion eliminates almost all Spitzenkandidaten, starting with Manfred Weber, but also Margrethe Vestager, a time approached by the Liberals and Democrats to be their candidate for the head of the Commission and who has become the muse of the press. Only one could pass between the drops: Frans Timmermans, today vice-president of the European Commission.

Two additional criteria: balance and consensus to remember

The President recalls the two very political criteria which make the Spitzenkandidat system irrational: the need to have a geographical balance (North Centre/South, East/West) and geopolitics (small and large countries), and to have the consensus between the Heads of State and Government.

« It will be a question of balance the day after [7], and of the capacity to build a consensus between us [8]. »

Ninth criterion: generational diversity

The President adds to this notion of balance that of generational diversity which did not appear until then in the written or unwritten criteria for European presidencies.

« An experience [can be] more or less long because I want all generations to be represented »

Names, what names?

Several names are cited by the Head of State: the Portuguese Antonio Costa (socialist) or the Dutchman Mark Rutte (liberal), but there are two others that he comments in particular (on the question of the journalist).

Michel Barnier in the short list

The generational criterion seems to be able to eliminate the candidacy of Michel Barnier. But the president catches up with the thread...

“Undeniably, Michel Barnier is a man of great qualities. [He] demonstrated it again in the way he handled negotiations with the British. He is therefore one of the European leaders who have eminent qualities and who can be included in this list. »

... but the Belgian Charles Michel is more popular apparently

The host of the Elysée makes a particularly strong eulogy of the Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel.

“His qualities like his background fully qualify him to also be one of the people who could have legitimate European ambitions. [...] On the migration file and on the relationship with Africa, which for me are an essential subject, and on the subjects of cooperation in terms of security, the euro zone and solidarity within this area, on climate policy, we have a common ambition, a real community of views. »

It's normal, we are in a Belgian newspaper. A Portuguese daily would have questioned him, we would surely have had a strong tribute to Antonio Costa (socialist). But objectively, the Belgian leader meets several of the aforementioned criteria (2): European legitimacy, majority of progress, experience, youth, ...

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(1) A criterion followed inexorably for more than twenty years: the Luxembourger Jacques Santer in 1994, the Italian Romano Prodi in 1999, the Portuguese José-Manuel Barroso in 2004 and 2009, and again a Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014 , were all former prime ministers.

(2) The Belgian manager has a disability, his alter ego within the Reform Movement (the Belgian liberals), Didier Reynders, who is a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe. That could be a bit much... Unless the two lifelong rivals have chosen to export their rivalries to European territory.