Latest European Council President Charles Michel's plan to oust European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to keep her out of conversations about her own work and future prospects, writes "Politico".
In talks with the leaders of the EU countries and their assistants, Michel has proposed that the head of the EC be excluded from the meeting on June 17, where the heads of state and government will discuss the top posts in the Union.< /p>
The bitter rivalry between the two senior officials - perhaps best exemplified by the 'Divangate' scandal, in which Michel's apparent attempt to oust von der Leyen during a visit to Turkey made him look sexist and clumsy - is long-standing a diplomatic embarrassment for the EU.
"The member states are increasingly irritated by the role of Charles Michel in the process of electing the president of the EC", revealed a European diplomat. "He appears to be driven by purely personal motives.
It is up to Michelle to decide who can join the dinner with the leaders, given that the June 17 event is an informal summit.
There is strong resistance from European capitals against Michel's proposal, diplomats and officials said. The historical rivalry between Michel and Von der Leyen played a key role in their irritation. Several European capitals believe that Michel is trying to get rid of Von der Leyen at the end of their terms, trying to thwart her potential re-election as EC president.
In talks with European leaders and their aides, Michel has suggested that von der Leyen be excluded from the meeting because she is the leading candidate of the European People's Party and hopes to win a second term as head of the European Commission.
Leaders must agree on the next presidents of the European Commission, the European Council (Michelle's current position) and the European Parliament (although the parliament votes its own leadership), as well as the next head of foreign policy.
Some suspect that Michel is plotting to enter the race for the top job as the next EU foreign policy chief.
"If he wants to kick her out of the room, he should also kick himself out,", an EU diplomat stressed.
The current dilemma is unprecedented. Since the idea of a front-runner system was adopted in 2014, there has been no current president of the European Commission running for a second term.
"There is some irritation,", another diplomat admitted about Michel's manipulations and cuts. "And this irritation is in von der Leyen's cabinet, as well as among the European leaders.