The Economist mentions Mitsotakis as a possible successor to Von der Leyen – He ruled it out himself

Up until now, a second term for Ursula von der Leyen at the helm of the Commission may have been considered almost self-evident, but recently European media have been displaying lists of names of candidates to replace her, including that of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Typical is the example of the authoritative Economist, which frames the Greek prime minister as a possible candidate for the helm of the Commission, noting:

“A failure of the candidate proposed by EU leaders to secure a majority in the European Parliament will lead to a stalemate. If not von der Leyen, then who?

Mario Draghi, Italy’s former prime minister and former ECB boss, will soon publish a report on the future of the European economy, which is likely to be in line with Mr Macron’s federal vision and will impress MEPs seeking a strong physiognomy. But he is 76 years old and has played no role in the election campaign for the European elections.

“Others of the Center Right, such as Kyriakos Mitsotakis, would face similar questions to those faced by the outgoing president. That’s why Ursula von der Leyen still has the best chance. But the road to a second term is likely to face many problems,” reports the Economist.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the “ace” among 7 suitors

The scenario of a Mitsotakis candidacy for the helm of the Commission was also mentioned last week by Euronews, including the Greek prime minister in a list of seven “suitors”, together with Mario Draghi, Kristalina Georgieva (former EU Budget Commissioner and current director of the IMF ), Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, European Parliament President Roberta Metzola, ECB President Christine Lagarde and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

As the relevant excerpt of the publication stated, Kyriakos Mitsotakis “could prove to be another ace up the sleeve of the EPP, if things get difficult at the negotiating table.

In a recent tweet, European People’s Party chief Manfred Weber said Mitsotakis “represents EPP leadership at its best” – words he probably wouldn’t use for von der Leyen.

“Mitsotakis is liked by fellow EU leaders and could be a good choice for the presidency of the European Council, if the EPP fails to secure the post of the Commission”.

In favoring a Mitsotakis candidacy, Euronews included his experience as a European leader, his good knowledge of English and French and a good command of German, so that he could address the plenary session of the European Parliament in the annual State of the Union address, while in ” against” poses the “smell of internal scandals”, which “could make him a dangerous choice”.

What Kyriakos Mitsotakis said to SKAI

Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, however, closed yesterday the issue of a candidacy for a European office, namely the presidency of the Commission, noting in his interview on SKAI TV: “For me, there is no such issue. It is more of an honor to be in this office, we will go to elections in 2027. The debate about a European office is honourable, but it does not concern me at all.”