“The political process is at a standstill or deadlock. The situation is abnormal, and I could state that the process of appointing the European Commissioner has been opaque until now, because it is not clear who is providing what, who the candidates were, who has the support of the presidency and who does not. Everything went smoothly,” Aušrinė Armonaitė, the chairwoman of the Freedom Party, told Elta on Saturday morning.
She claimed that the Freedom Party was not clearly communicated that the processes of coordinating the candidacy of G. Lansbergis for European Commissioners had been started.
“Maybe we just need to stop all this practice, which is harmful, and take a broader look, appoint the best person to the position of European Commissioner?”, the politician asked.
A. Armonaitė reminded that the Freedom Party publicly named 10 women from politics, business and other fields who could be considered as candidates for European Commissioners. The politician noted that after Mr. Landsberg announced that his candidacy was not approved by the Presidency, the aforementioned proposal of the Freedom Party became even more relevant.
“The proposal of the Freedom Party to look more broadly, that is, not only into the political field, but also to look into the business of women leaders or in other areas, seems to me to be very necessary now,” said A. Armonaitė.
On Tuesday, A. Armonaitė named ten women on Facebook who, she believes, would be perfect for the post of European Commissioner. Among the latter was the outgoing president Dalia Grybauskaitė.
He claimed that he understood that he would not receive the support of the president
Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Landsbergis told Elta on Friday that due to the Presidency’s opposition to his candidacy for European Commissioner, Prime Minister I. Šimonytė should look for other names. According to the leader of the conservatives, despite the Government’s prerogative to propose a candidate, it is not worth expecting the country’s leader G. Nausėda to approve his candidacy.
“First of all, I am grateful for the support and for the fact that I was presented by the Prime Minister, and for the fact that Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen expressed the support that I am presented with. The leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, also said publicly. This is really important and I really appreciate it. Realizing that this is in no way acceptable and irrelevant for one institution or even the head of the institution, I think it is necessary to look for another option”, G. Landsbergis said to Eltai on Friday evening, noting that the prime minister needs to look for another candidate.
The leader of the conservatives asserts that he is familiar with information that allows us to conclude that the president, whose approval is necessary when appointing a Lithuanian candidate for European commissioners, will definitely not approve his candidacy.
“Those wordings that were passed on to me about the conversations that took place during the discussions or presentation allow us to assume that the Presidency was not concerned with what portfolios Lithuania would have. Their most important priority was that no portfolio should go to one person,” said the minister.
“Not only is it similar, but this is clear – under no circumstances will it be confirmed,” he added.
Although previously announcing that Mr. Landsbergis’ candidacy was not officially presented to the president, Mr. Landsbergis himself says that the available information allows us to say that the process of coordinating his candidacy took place.
ELTA reminds that for a long time it was unofficially said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Landsbergis was applying for the post in Brussels. A large number of members of the Conservative Party have also openly expressed their support for this potential candidacy.
However, the minister himself had not publicly expressed such an intention for a long time.
President G. Nausėda, whose approval is necessary for the delegation of Lithuania’s representative to the EC, has repeatedly made it clear that he would not be inclined to support G. Landsbergis’ candidacy. He has stated that he sees better candidates than G. Landsbergis. In addition, the head of the country said that Vilnius should pursue portfolios that are related to the economic field. The advisor to the president, Frederikas Janson, hinted that both the prime minister herself and the finance minister Gintarė Skaistė could apply for such an EC portfolio.
There was no lack of skepticism in the Seimas, either, when assessing G. Landsbergi’s chances of becoming a European Commissioner. Not only the opposition, but also the representatives of the ruling majority have publicly stated that they do not support this candidacy.
The nomination of the Eurocommissioner is submitted by the Government after the position has been agreed with the President and the Seimas.
2024-08-17 15:21:49