Lithuania Proposes ‘Hawk’ Andrius Kubilius For European Commissioner Post
- 22.08.2024, 3:04
- 3,958
The candidature still has to be approved by parliament and the president.
On Wednesday, the Lithuanian government proposed Andrius Kubilius as its potential next European commissioner, officially starting the nomination procedure, Politico writes.
According to the procedure, the government officially nominates a candidate, and the president and the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, are supposed to give the green light to the decision.
Ingrida Šimonīte said she has already received unofficial endorsement of the proposed candidacy from President Gitanas Nauseda and the country's ruling coalition.
If approved, Kubilius, a former academic and two-time prime minister who has been a MEP since 2019, would have to give up his seat in the European Parliament.
Kubilius, who co-authored the 2017 European Plan for Ukraine, is a strong supporter of Kyiv and has a tough stance on Russia.
During his time in the European Parliament as commissioner on Russia, he stressed the need for continued military support for Ukraine, advocating a plan for Western allies to contribute 0.25 per cent of GDP to help defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin on the battlefield.
He also called for making Moscow pay for Ukraine's reconstruction, using all frozen Russian assets to do so, not just the revenue generated from them. He proposed creating a government department or ministry in Vilnius to deal fully with issues of Ukraine.
‘I want to believe that opposition groups, if they look at this issue objectively, will also be able to reject their prejudices and appreciate Kubilius‘ experience and abilities,’ Šimonīte said.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Seimas speaker and leader of the coalition Liberal Movement, said parliament could vote for Kubilius' candidacy either at an extraordinary session or at the beginning of the regular autumn session on September 10. At the same time, the European Commission wants EU countries to nominate their candidates by August 30.
Kubilius' candidacy was put forward after Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Saturday that he was not running for the post of European commissioner because the president refused to back him.
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