Kyriakos Mitsotakis is in constant communication with European leaders and political actors, with his eyes fixed on the ongoing war crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, on the European elections and on the negotiations for the leadership of the Commission, the portfolios of the commissioners and the persons who will undertake.
The special weight of the Greek prime minister
According to sources from Brussels, the Greek prime minister has established a disproportionately important special weight in relation to the size and influence of Greece, especially in the circles of the European People’s Party.
This element is the result of many parameters, starting from the very political presence of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the improved image of the country after the traumatic period 2009-2019, the political dominance of New Democracy during the last five years, but also the fact that the party is the strongest in the ranks of the European Center Right.
At the moment, the Prime Minister is practically constantly keeping the channels of communication open with the main “players” in the EU at this time and mainly with the outgoing president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Special relationship between Athens and Warsaw
On the sidelines of last week’s extraordinary European Council meeting, the Greek prime minister had a working breakfast on Thursday with the president of the European Parliament and his Polish counterpart, with whom he met for the second time in a week, following his visit in Warsaw.
However, regarding the continuous communication between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Donald Tusk, it is recalled by some sources that, for different reasons and under different conditions, the two countries are currently, also due to the war in Ukraine, the best allies of the USA and NATO among the member states of the Union.
The main issues of the Prime Minister’s international contacts at the current time, whether in person or by telephone or via teleconferences, are the road to the European elections, but mainly the preparation for the next day.
According to information, the discussions of Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the European leaders and with Ursula von der Leyen revolve around the post-election developments and in particular: whether the president of the Commission, who is said today to be the most likely for a second term, is indeed the unshakable favorite, in who will take over as head of European diplomacy in place of Josep Borel and the persons who will staff the Commission.
The outstandings
Topics of special interest are also:
- the person to whom the discussed new portfolio for the European defense industry will be entrusted, if it is finally created (Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is named)
- the portfolio that Greece will claim (it is said that the target of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is one of the so-called “productive”)
- who will succeed Charles Michel as President of the Council
- what complications could be brought about, in many senses, by a strengthening of the Far Right across Europe, with all that this might entail for the composition of the European Parliament.
What are they afraid of in Europe?
However, unfavorable scenarios are not missing from what the Prime Minister is discussing with his interlocutors in Europe. Among them, the possibility of the Far Right emerging as a third force in the next European Parliament.
If something like this is verified, it is estimated that it will be very difficult to re-elect the current President of the Commission, given that 50% + 1 of the votes of the European Parliament is required and this at a time when the reactions to her candidacy are intensifying, both in Brussels as well as Paris and Berlin.
The developments regarding the composition of the Commission and, as far as Greece is concerned, whether Margaritis Schinas will participate in it, as the current president wishes, will obviously depend on the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen or not. As is obvious, much will depend on the strength of the EPP throughout Europe and on the final balance of power in the next European Parliament.
The persistent scenarios for Mitsotakis
However, it remains unknown at the moment which alternative scenarios are being considered for the leadership of the Commission in the discussions in which the Greek Prime Minister is also participating.
However, it is known and confirmed by well-informed sources in Brussels that the name of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is still being discussed, and even more intensely in recent days, as a possible solution for the leadership of the Commission, in the event that von der Leyen’s candidacy does not proceed and given that the chairman of the Committee should come from the People’s Party.
As the same sources report, if the EPP appears weakened and the chances of achieving a majority are reduced, Kyriakos Mitsotakis may be one of the names that will at least be proposed as a solution, despite his persistent and obvious denials and any reactions he may to manifest themselves from other political spaces, due to the case of wiretapping etc.
One of the highlights in these behind-the-scenes discussions is that the Greek prime minister is reportedly garnering the approval of other political groups and leaders outside the EPP, such as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
All this will in any case be judged by the result of the European elections and it will be seen whether or not they are verified at the latest on June 17, when the Council will meet in an emergency in order to take the decisions on the presidency of the new Commission.
