by
N. Peter Kramer
But the liberals lost the European elections and became the fourth instead of the third biggest group in the European Parliament, after the Christian Democrats (EPP), Socialists(S&D) and ….. the Euro critical conservatives (ECR). So no chance for Verhofstadt (if he ever had one) for this function. To create a chance for another EU topjob, Verhofstadt chummed up with the EPP and the S&D and they got Jean-Claude Juncker (EPP) into the Commission Presidential saddle.
But Verhofstadt and his Liberals are still empty handed. The Christian Democrats and Socialists shared the loot. The President of the Parliament is called Martin Schulz, a German socialist, who will stay in his function for another two and a half year. The Polish Prime-Minister Donald Tusk, member of the EPP family, became Herman van Rompuy’s (EPP) successor as President of the European Council and Federica Mogherini, an Italian Socialist, was appointed the next EU foreign policy chief, taking over from Catherine Ashton (S&D). Ms Mogherini, Italian Foreign Minister, was initially blocked by eastern EU member states who feared she is too Russian friendly. But at the European Summit which decided the appointment only Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite abstained. Evil tongues say that she was aiming for the position herself.
Van Rompuy told the press, after the introduction of his Polish successor, that Tusk faces three big challenges: the stagnating eurozone economy (but Poland is not a member of the Eurozone…), the risk that the UK will quit the European Union (but it seems that he is good friends with the British Prime-Minister, David Cameron, although he can’t speak a word of English), and last but not least the Ukraine-Russia crisis. In his first speech in his new EU function Tusk suggested a clear solution for this crisis: let’s strengthen NATO! The Cold War strikes again…
