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European council president, Charles Michel, announced on Sunday that he will step down early, setting off a race against time for EU leaders to prevent the role falling to Viktor Orban, the nationalist Hungarian president. ....
Charles Michel was parachuted into his role as European Council president on the back of a failed spell as Belgium’s prime minister, and his bromance with Emmanuel Macron. Were it not for the fact that the 45-year-old was a fully paid up member of the French President’s Macron’s fan club, it is unlikely that he would ever have got the job. The UK’s decision to quit the EU infuriated him as the son of a former EU commissioner and leader of a country with greatest interest in the bloc going from strength to strength. Mr Michel backed Mr Macron’s hardline Brexit stance to the hilt during the negotiations over the Withdrawal Agreement. Like the French president, he called for short Brexit extensions to maximise pressure on the British. In the final months of 2019, Mr Michel was the caretaker prime minister of the Belgian government after the collapse of his coalition in a row over migration. Mr Macron made sure to reward his liberal ally’s loyalty ....