The lost Spitzenkandidaten and the future of European democracy
| Author | Mark Dawson |
| DOI | 10.1177/1023263X19884434 |
| Published date | 01 December 2019 |
| Date | 01 December 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
Editorial
The lost Spitzenkandidaten
and the future of European
democracy
Mark Dawson*
Abstract
This editorial critically examines the decision of EU leaders not to follow the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’
procedure when recently nominating the new President of the European Commission. It does so
by situating that decision in a consociational model of democracy, that seeks to share political
authority rather than link it directly to electoral processes. As the editorial argues, this model
leaves the EU exposed to elitist critique and sits uneasily with certain aspects of Article 17(7) TEU.
The review and renewal of the Spitzenkandidaten system promised by the incoming Commission
President is thus sorely needed.
Keywords
Spitzenkandidaten, European Council, European Commission, Consociationalism, Democracy
1. The lost spitzenkandidaten
The process for selecting the Presidency of the European Commission has rarely been an
interesting topic for EU scholarship. By 2019, however, it has become a focal point for
understanding how the EU’s political constitution is evolving. From a certain (legal) perspec-
tive, what happened in the early summer of 2019 is of little concern. Article 17(7) TEU
establishes a clear process: that the European Council ‘taking into account’ the re sults of
elections to the European Parliament (EP), should propose a candidate for the Presidency,
who must then be approved by a simple majority in the EP. This duly occurred when Ursula
von der Leyen’s name was put forward by the Council in early July, to be later approved
* Professor of European Law and Governance, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. Germany
Corresponding author:
Mark Dawson, Professor of European Law and Governance, Hertie School of Governance, Friedrichstrasse 180, Berlin,
Germany.
E-mail: dawson@hertie-school.org
Maastricht Journal of European and
Comparative Law
2019, Vol. 26(6) 731–735
ªThe Author(s) 2019
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1023263X19884434
maastrichtjournal.sagepub.com
MJ
MJ
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