Peter Pellegrini (source: AP/TASR)
Does Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini (Smer) plan to leave his current position? He has reportedly shown serious interest in becoming the president of the European Council, the Pravda daily reported.
Three independent top-rated sources from the Visegrad Group (V4) countries confirmed the information to the daily.
Currently, Donald Tusk from Poland serves as the European Council president. His term in office expires on November 30, 2019.
Only a rumour
Pellegrini refused to comment on the speculations.
“There are ongoing negotiations at the level of the various factions as well as at the level of member states, and there is no reason to comment while the negotiations are underway,” said his spokesperson Patrícia Macíková, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
Radovan Geist, an analyst for the Euractiv website, believes that the information has to be a rumour only.
“Even if the interest of Mr Pellegrini was real, he does not stand much chance of succeeding,” Geist told The Slovak Spectator.
Donald Tusk is also from the V4 region and the possibility that the next president of the European Council will, for the third time be from this region, is very slight, he added.
