World

Orbán could take European Council reins after Michel election bid

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2024

Orbán could take European Council reins after Michel election bid

Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could take the reins at the European Council in July unless EU leaders can swiftly find a successor to its current president.

Charles Michel unexpectedly announced on Saturday that he would be the lead candidate for his Belgian liberal party – the Reformist Movement (MR) – in the European elections which take place on 6-9 June.

This means Michel, a former Belgian prime minister who has presided over the European Council since 2019, is highly likely to be elected as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and stand down as Council chief following the election.

The EU’s 27 heads of government now have less than six months to name his successor. The President’s role involves chairing European Council meetings and brokering agreements among member states, including on sensitive budget and foreign policy decisions.

According to EU treaties, in the absence of a president, the country that holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council takes on caretaker responsibility. This means that without a successor, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would take control of the Council when his country’s takes on the rotating presidency on 1 July.

A European Council source brushed off the potential disruption of Michel’s surprise announcement, saying that the decision on his successor was “due to happen in June 2024.”

“It is therefore possible to have the next president of the European Council starting his duty in summer 2024, if the European Council decides so,” the source said.

June’s European elections will trigger a reshuffle of Brussels’ top jobs, but the process sometimes takes months due to the intricate nature of discussions and the need to ensure political, geographical and gender balance between appointments.

Criticism against Michel mounts

Many have denounced Michel for a move that will throw a shadow of uncertainty over the Council during a politically pivotal moment.

Speaking to Euronews, Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law at HEC Paris said that Michel’s decision risks triggering a “constitutional crisis.”

“As Michel abruptly ends his mandate at the most critical moment when the powers of the council are at their peak (…) he is set to become a lame duck president with little authority,” Alemanno explained.

“This is really terra incognita,” he said, adding that Michel was pursuing “his own self-interest” rather than wider European Union interests.

Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, a liberal who belongs to the same political family as Michel, sharply criticised his decision on social media platform, X: “The Captain leaving the ship in the middle of a storm. If that is how little committed you are to the fate of the European Union, then how credible are you as a candidate?”

Alarm raised over potential Orbán takeover

The possibility of Orbán seizing influence in Brussels in the second half of the year has spooked many in the EU capital. The nationalist prime minister, recently seen shaking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hand in Beijing, is infamous for being a thorn in Brussels’ side.

The bloc’s proposed €50-billion package in long-term financial support to Ukraine is currently being held up after Orbán vetoed its approval during a European Council summit in December.

It followed the release of €10 billion in EU funds to Budapest, previously frozen due to backsliding on the rule of law. The move fuelled speculation that Orbán is using his veto power in the Council to pressure Brussels to unfreeze more frozen cash.

Orbán also consistently uses anti-EU rhetoric to foster Eurosceptic sentiment among his domestic audience in Hungary.

His government recently personally targeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a billboard campaign and implied that Brussels wanted to “create migrant ghettos in Hungary” in an inflammatory public consultation.

EU lawmakers have in the past cast doubt over Hungary and Orbán’s credibility to take on the Council’s presidency in the second half of 2024.

In a non-binding resolution adopted last June, MEPs questioned “how Hungary will be able to credibly fulfil this task in 2024, in view of its non-compliance with EU law and the values enshrined in Article 2 (of the EU treaties), as well as the principle of sincere cooperation.”

Despite having no executive powers, the EU state that holds the Council’s presidency can wield significant influence over the institution’s functioning by setting the agenda, hosting meetings, steering negotiations and organising votes.

Should the president’s responsibilities fall temporarily into the hands of Orbán, it could increase his capacity to shape the EU’s legislative calendar in the last six months of 2024.

But Alemanno told Euronews that he believes leaders are unfazed by the prospect of Orbán stepping in temporarily to do the job.

“I’m not so sure that European leaders are so afraid of Mr. Orbán,” Alemanno explained.

“Otherwise they would have taken many more measures in order to counter his defiant stance vis-à-vis (…) foreign policy and rule of law and a number of issues,” he said, adding that Orbán’s role would be limited to chairing meetings should he need to step in.

Countdown to name successor begins

European Council chiefs are usually former heads of state, with a preference for leaders versed in complex negotiations or with experience managing coalition governments.

Names speculated for the role include the Netherlands’ current caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte, who was forced to step down in July amid a coalition rift over the issue of immigration, or former Luxembourgish premier Xavier Bettel.

Portugal’s caretaker prime minister Antonio Costa was also speculated for the role, but his candidacy could be marred by a sprawling corruption investigation involving his key aides.

The EU treaties also allow the 27 leaders to change the rules should they fail to name a successor. Fourteen member states, representing a simple majority, could vote to block Orbán from temporarily taking on the president’s responsibilities and appoint another temporary chief.

Alemanno predicts that a “temporary, interim” successor will be found in due time, with a permanent replacement then named after the June ballot.

Click to comment

World

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

Published

2 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.

World

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET