Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has officially withdrawn his bid to become Lithuania’s next European commissioner.
On Friday, Landsbergis told Elta news agency that he had received information that President Gitanas Nausėda would not support his candidacy for the post. Therefore, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė should look for other candidates, he said.
“First of all, I’m grateful for being presented by the prime minister as a candidate and for the support, to the extent that I’ve been informed, that has been expressed to me by [EC President] Ursula von der Leyen. The leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, has also said so publicly. This is really important, and I really appreciate it. Understanding that for one institution, or even for the head of an institution, this is not acceptable or important in any way, I think that we need to look for another option,” Landsbergis told Elta.
On Saturday, Landsbergis said, “It would have been a great honour to serve as Lithuania’s European Commissioner”.
“But I will continue to serve my country, help Ukraine and fight for Europe’s future in other ways. I thank everyone here deeply for the support and love you show for my work and for Lithuania,” he wrote on X.
It would have been a great honour to serve as Lithuania's European Commissioner, but I will continue to serve my country, help Ukraine and fight for Europe's future in other ways. I thank everyone here deeply for the support and love you show for my work and for Lithuania. ❤️🇱🇹
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) August 17, 2024
For a long time, Foreign Minister Landsbergis has been mentioned by his fellow party members and media reports as the main contender to become Lithuania’s European commissioner. However, neither he himself nor the government has confirmed that he is being considered for the position.
President Nausėda, whose approval is necessary for the appointment of a Lithuanian representative to the EC, has also repeatedly made it clear that he would not support Landsbergis’ candidacy, saying he sees better candidates.
In Lithuania, the candidate for a European commissioner must be approved by the government, the parliament, and the president.
According to Landsbergis, the ruling conservative Homeland Union (TS-LKD) will now seek to nominate Andrius Kubilius for the EC post.
“I told the Prime Minister and after discussions, we agreed that Andrius Kubilius should be nominated in this case,” the TS-LKD leader told BNS on Monday.
Kubilius was re-elected to the European Parliament for a second term this year.
Since 2019, he has been a strong advocate for closer ties between the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries, more support for Ukraine, and a tougher stance towards the Kremlin.
According to Landsbergis, Kubilius is a “political heavyweight” who can ensure that Lithuania’s name continues to be heard in Brussels.
According to Frederikas Jansonas, an adviser to Nausėda, the president supports Kubilius’ candidacy for the EU commissioner.
“Kubilius’ candidacy was agreed upon last week during discussions between the president and the prime minister about Lithuania’s representative to the European Commission,” Jansonas told BNS.
The TS-LKD plans to present Kubilius’ candidacy at the ruling coalition council on Monday. The meeting was initiated by the Freedom Party, which proposed ten female candidates for the EU commissioner’s post last week.
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