“Estado da União”: Como é que a demissão de Charles Michel abalou Bruxelas | vídeo

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Hello and welcome to State of the Union I’m Stefan groer in Brussels when ukrainians listen to European leaders talk about their support for the war effort they have all the reason to be irritated by the lack of action if irritated is the right word when you’re

In a Bloody War of Attrition with Russia not only is Hungary still blocking a 50 billion Euro package on a European level it’s also the individual member states that produce a lot of words but chicken out when it comes to concrete commitment this week German Chancellor Olaf Schultz

Rang the alarm Bells with 17 billion Euro his country is the second biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States if Europe wants to prevent a Russian Victory his colleagues better step up to the plates he said who was Schultz talking about he didn’t

Name any names but France Italy and Spain combined only gave 1.6 billion Eur in military aid to Ukraine that’s less than one tenth of Germany’s contribution an embarrassing testimony to European solidarity the man in charge of coordinating EU policy facilitating decision making and providing European solidarity is Char Michelle as president

Of the European Council representing the national governments his job is to set the agenda find compromise and un block stalemates something he wasn’t always successful in maybe that’s the reason why he called it quit this week the former Belgian prime minister announced that he would resign to run for a seat

In the European Parliament official Brussels was stunned Michelle himself sees it as an almost natural decision I must say I’m confused so you take responsibility by resigning and running for a totally different job in the European Parliament is that what you call accountability what if you win would you

Want your old job back I think we need to bring in someone who may have some answers and who knows a thing or two about the inner workings of Brussels joining me now is doru Francesco CEO and founder of the research platform EU matric and one of the best election Watchers in town

Welcome to the program great to see you great to see you too thank you very much for the invitation so politicians resign all the time nothing unusual why does sha Michelle’s resignation matter in this particular case uh this matters because it triggers a whole uh Chain

Reaction uh which we we have seen has created a lot of agitation in Brussels and elsewhere in European capitals because the departure from the post of the president of of the council leaves that position open theoretically for about six months at the very difficult time very complicated times which will

Be right after the European elections it is when the European leaders need to agree on the next uh composition of the European commission the next top posts but also the next legislative agenda the priorities and in this particular case the departure of char Michelle would also create a sort of power vacuum and

The legal vacuum because in the absence of another person that will take up the presidency of the council by default uh the the chair uh would go to uh do the the prime minister who holds the rotating presidency of the EU in this case Mr Victor Orban of Hungary which as

We know has had a difficult relation with brussles over time and this is what concerns some of the EU politicians which are trying to find a solution for this not to happen Michelle would be the first EU Council President to resign in order to run for Parliament doesn’t that

Sound an odd signal about the importance of his job um well in a way uh yes but not necessarily I think the decision to uh Run for the the position in in the parliament uh may also come as uh some sort of understanding that it would have

Been difficult for him to stay longer as president of the council anyway in the next in the next mandate he would have anyways have to to have his job put on the table for a potential reelection uh this summer when all of the positions of power in the EU institutions will be

Renegotiated by the political families and by the European government so it was not certain anyways or far from certain actually that Char Michelle will stay on as president of the council all right a lot of stuff to digest here Duro Francesco CEO and founder of EU Matrix

Thanks for your insights and for coming on the show today thank you very much anytime of course we will cover the European elections big time and we will keep an eye on Sha Michelle as well hoping that his transfer to the pament will not be a trip into the political

Cold speaking of cold you think you’ve had enough of winter temperatures this week well think again these are pictures of the widest waterfall in Estonia on the yagala river about 50 m large and 8 m High the recent Frost has frozen most of the waterfall providing locals with a

Spectacular opportunity to climb behind and between ice columns and walls that normally don’t exist at their own risk of course but as in politics so in nature you sometimes have to seize the moment when you think it’s right that’s it for this Edition I’m Stefan Grover thank you for watching have an excellent

Week