Greece’s Mitsotakis insists has no interest in EU job after June elections

Greek conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (EPP) has once again ruled out any scenario of seeking an EU top job after the European elections in June, saying his only objective is to lead his country.

In recent months, there have been growing rumours in several EU media suggesting that the Greek leader may be eyeing an EU top post after the European elections, including the post of Commission president, should Ursula von der Leyen fail to get enough support for a second mandate.

“How many times do I have to say […] that for me, there is absolutely no issue?” Mitsotakis said in an interview with Skai TV on Thursday (25 April), adding that being Greece’s prime minister is for him the “greatest honour”.

He admitted, though, that discussions about an EU post may be “to a certain extent flattering and honourable”.

In late January, together his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, Mitsotakis nominated von der Leyen as the lead candidate of the centre-right European People’s Party, the biggest group in the European Parliament and the strongest political faction in the Council.

Many described this move as a reassuring message for von der Leyen, considering that Mitsotakis’ name had already been circulating for months.

A similar rumour focused on Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Commission presidency.

Plenković said his priority was to put together a new majority following an inconclusive parliamentary election on 17 April, which his conservative HDZ (EPP) won, but without enough seats to rule alone.

Plenković confirmed he would be the HDZ’s lead candidate in the European elections on 6-9 June “to support our candidates so we can win again”. He has denied harbouring interest in an EU top job but has generally sought to decline comment on the issue.

On 7 April, von der Leyen launched her election campaign in Athens, in what many in the EPP described as recognition of the EPP’s largest political party currently in power, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy.

According to the latest polls, New Democracy is leading with 33.2% followed by the main opposition party, leftist Syriza (EU Left), which scores 15.1% and socialist Pasok on 12%.

Although New Democracy is projected to have an easy victory in June, analysts in Athens estimate that the results will be a crucial test for Greece’s political landscape ahead of the national election in 2027.

According to the polls, if they join forces, the progressive forces – composed of Syriza, Pasok and the New Left party – could claim the country’s leadership in a potential coalition government.

In a recent interview with Euractiv, Alexis Charitsis, the leader of the New Left party which is expected to play a future kingmakers’ role in the formation of such a government, said the EU elections will send clear messages to all parties.

“These EU elections must be the beginning of the end of the Mitsotakis government”, he noted, adding that progressive forces should sit around the same table and agree on an alternative governance plan to overthrow conservative New Democracy.

However, divisions among progressive forces are still there as they are mainly fishing for votes from the same pool.

Syriza and Pasok also disagree on who will lead a progressive front while relations between the Syriza leader Stefanos Kasselakis and his socialist counterpart Nikos Androulakis are not at their best.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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