Olli Rehn is running in the European elections (for President of the Commission)

The commissioner for Economic affairs want to be the liberal candidate for the presidency of the new Commission. Anticipating his self-resignation from role as Commissioner

Vice-President of the European Commission and Head of Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn, will soon leave his role as Commissioner in Brussels in order to present his candidacy in the upcoming European elections for 2014, a political step required to run for Head of the European Commission which will form in autumn of next year. Announcing the running for a seat at the Community Parliamentary Assembly, is the Finnish Commissioner himself, opening the race with his candidacy as leader of the political group for ALDE, the formation of European liberals and democrats. The news, which came from Helsiniki, nonetheless, opens to several unknowns. Foremost, how Brussels will decide to handle the electoral stepping down of the current Vice-President of the European Commission.

From the procedural perspective, based on the EU code of conduct, Rehn’s ‘new race’ must first of all obtain the go ahead from the President of the Commission in Brussels, Josè Manuel Barroso. Then, once the approval is obtained, the current Head of European Economic Affairs must self-resign from that job, at the latest by the last plenary session of the European Parliament before the next European elections, meaning by the second half of April 2014. Should Rehn get elected, he must then resign definitively from the role of Commissioner, if he wants to sit in Parliament. We must wait and see how Barroso will decide to handle the issue. This has already happened in the past – a Commissioner self-resigns to participate in national or European elections. In this case his portfolio is temporarily assigned to some other colleague. But the handling of the most important European dossiers, the economic ones, above all for a Europe that is taking its first steps toward recovery, is certainly not a responsibility that can be delegated or transferred in management as ‘part-time’ so easily. Barroso’s yes, which he could then handle as an interim portfolio, even though it is possible, would certainly not be a given.

Joining Rehn in his candidacy is former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, the current Head of European Parliament. If Rehn runs the inter-party competition would become a reality; it would give a start to an unpredictable party which will conclude next February 2014, the month in which the name of the ALDE leader, as well as candidate for Head of the Commission will be made official.

Marco Frisone