Banca March : Charles Michael, the current President of the Council, is standing as a candidate in the European Parliament elections in June. If elected, he would have to resign before being sworn in as an MEP on 16 July, bringing his term of office to an end more than four months early. If no replacement were to be found, the Hungarian prime minister would be able to act as president of the Council, as Hungary is the country set to hold the rotating presidency between July and December 2024. The government holding the rotating presidency chairs and organises ministerial meetings, while the president of the European Council facilitates cohesion and represents the EU externally. Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, is far from having earned the sympathy of European leaders. In the midst of the various tensions, the European Commission withheld €30 billion in funding for the country on the grounds that it is in breach of the rule of law. Finally, last December, the Commission granted €10.2 billion after Hungary threatened not to lift its veto on Ukraine’s integration process.
Charles Michel’s candidacy as MEP could leave acting presidency of the European Council in Hungary’s hands
