Former Latvian PM to seek nomination for EC presidency

Former Latvian PM Valdis Dombrovskis has announced that he is to seek the EPP's nomination for European Commission candidate, becoming the first person to formally submit his candidature.

The European People’s Party (EPP), a political grouping which encompasses all the centre-right European parties in the parliament, convenes in Dublin in just over two weeks’ time to choose their candidate for European Commission president.

Among the possible contenders for the position are former Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and Finnish prime minister Jyrki Katainen. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is understood to have strong support among EPP colleagues and political leaders for the position. While he has indicated he intends to finish his term as Taoiseach and lead Fine Gael into the next election, he is also being considered by member states as a candidate for president of the European Council, a position currently held by Herman Van Rompuy.

The five-year term of the European Commission comes to an end after May’s European elections, with a number of senior positions up for grabs. This includes the presidency of the European Commission, a post currently held by José Manuel Barroso, and replacements for Mr Van Rompuy as head of the European Council and the EU’s top foreign policy post, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, held by Catherine Ashton.

For the first time, a decision on the European Commission president may be made in advance of the election. The Lisbon Treaty stipulates that member states “must take account” of the results of the European Parliament elections, suggesting that the candidate chosen by the largest political grouping in the parliament will be elected. The Socialist and Democratics (S&D) group , of which the Irish Labour Party is a member, has chosen Martin Schulz, the current European Parliament president, as their candidate.

Mr Dombrovskis held a meeting with Joseph Daul, the head of the EPP in Brussels yesterday at which he formally submitted his candidature for the role. Like former Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose tenure as the longest-serving European prime minister came to an end in the autumn, Mr Dombrovskis is recently out of a job, having resigned as prime minister in the wake of the Latvian supermarket collapse in November. Seen as a strong candidate and Europhile among EU leaders across the bloc, he is a popular figure in EU circles.

European heads of state including Angela Merkel will visit Dublin on 6th and 7th March for the EPP convention. An estimated 13 EU commissioners will also travel to the capital for the trip.