Charles Michel took office as EU Council President at the end of 2019. Now the Belgian has been re-elected. Unanimously, as they say.
Belgian Charles Michel has been re-elected President of the European Council. At the EU summit in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the EU states spoke out in favor of a second term for Michel, as the Council announced.
Michel was unanimously elected, it said. Michel took up his post in December 2019 for two and a half years. The second term begins on June 1, 2022 and ends on November 30, 2024. US President Joe Biden personally congratulated him shortly after the election. Sometimes he dreams of being re-elected without opposition, like Michel, joked the American, who could stand for re-election in 2024.
Among other things, the head of the council is responsible for convening and preparing EU summits and mediating between the EU states. He can also travel abroad for diplomatic work. Since the Council President can only be re-elected once, it will also be Michel’s last term. The post of EU Council President has only existed in its current form since 2009. It was first held by the Belgian Herman Van Rompuy, followed by the Pole Donald Tusk.
Michel made headlines especially during a visit to Turkey with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In April 2021, only he was allowed to sit in a chair next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Von der Leyen, on the other hand, had to sit on a sofa. The incident became known as “Sofagate”. Von der Leyen later made allegations that she was not treated in accordance with her office because she was a woman.
Michel was born in Namur, southern Belgium, in December 1975. Prior to his appointment as EU Council President, Michel was, among other things, the head of the Belgian government. The terrorist attacks on Brussels Airport and the Maelbeek metro station in 2016 also took place during this period.
Source: Stern
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