European Council President Charles Michel announced on Friday that he was withdrawing from the European Parliament elections scheduled for early June, condemning what he described as “personal attacks”, AFP, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

The 48-year-old Belgian official, who for four years presided over the meetings of the heads of state and government of the 27 member states of the European Union, announced three weeks ago his intention to retire early in order to devote himself to the campaign for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 6-9. . He was due to finish his current term in November.

At the time, Michel said he intended to carry out his “functions as President of the European Council until he is sworn in as a member of the European Parliament, which will take place on July 16.”

In a major message posted on Facebook on Friday, the president of the European Council lamented that “personal attacks tend to outweigh factual arguments” and assured that while he will not run in the European elections, he intends to “bring them to the end.” with the definition of current duties”.

The announcement of his candidacy at the beginning of January blew up the European calendar and caused fierce criticism, and Dutch MEP Sophie int Veld (Renew Europe, centrists and liberals) even hinted at “a captain who abandons his ship in the middle of a storm.”

“I will always be an ardent supporter of a democratic Europe, strong, united and in control of its own destiny,” concluded Michel in his Friday address.

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