Nadia Calviño gains positions in the race for the presidency of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and this is what the Government of Belgium, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the institution, will inform the Finance Ministries of the Twenty-seven today. , as revealed by the Politico portal and this newspaper has been able to confirm from European diplomatic sources. Although on other occasions the replacement at the head of this financial institution based in Luxembourg had hardly aroused interest, this time up to five candidates have presented themselves for the position, among them prestigious figures such as former European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Danish; the former Minister of Economy of Italy, Daniele Franco, or Calviño herself, vice president of the Spanish Government. The EIB is called upon to play a very relevant role in the coming years to finance the large investments that Europe intends to make to complete the green transition and all countries have firmly defended their candidates.
However, support is very divided and the strict rules on the selection process have prevented a clear candidate from emerging beyond the two favorites being the Nordic and the Spanish. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently announced that his government supports Calviño, a position that has favorably tipped the balance in favor of the Spanish candidate. Emmanuel Macron has not spoken but in Brussels it is suspected that France will support Spain. The first vice president of the Government, however, still has not reached the double majority required by the EIB’s internal regulations. That is, gather a majority of countries (Vestager has been very skilled at gathering support among small countries) that, in turn, together represent more than half of the bank’s capital (a criterion to which Calviño, on the other hand, comes closer). . “The news that has come out through the media constitutes good news, a step forward. But we continue to be cautious,” comment government sources.
By presenting Calviño as a candidate with the most support, the Belgian Minister of Finance, Vincent Van Peteghem, aims to help unblock the process and encourage the withdrawal of other candidates who have no chance, so that their respective governments have to position themselves in favor of another. , explain European diplomatic sources. The Belgian Government’s plan is to hold a vote at the meeting of the Twenty-Seven Economy Ministers that will be held next week in Brussels.
