Reynders didn’t make it, again. Switzerland’s Berset new secretary-general of the Council of Europe

Brussels – Didier Reynder, for the second consecutive time, lost the race to become secretary-general of the Council of Europe. The parliamentary assembly of the Strasbourg-based human rights organization elected former president of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset to the Council of Europe summit late yesterday (June 25), ending the dream of the Belgian candidate – the current European Commissioner for Justice – of taking revenge after his defeat in 2019.

The vote of the Parliamentary Assembly decreed that the succession of the incumbent secretary-general, Croatian Marija Pejčinović Burić, would go to the Swiss candidate, who was confirmed without appeal with 114 votes in favor (out of 245 validly cast). Reynders comes in third – and last – with only 46 preferences, behind even former Estonian Minister of Culture Indrek Saar (85 votes). The term of office of the new secretary-general will start on September 18 at the latest, the international organization (which is not among the institutions of the European Union) said.

In early January, the Belgian liberal politician announced his readiness to run for the second consecutive time for the leadership of the Council of Europe. Right after that, the government led by Alexander De Croo confirmed its choice of the current European Commissioner for Justice as its candidate in the June 24-28 elections. At the end of March, the incumbent for Justice in the cabinet headed by Ursula von der Leyen told the President of the EU executive of the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary Assembly of his official candidacy and – ahead of the election campaign – was granted unpaid leave from April 25.

After yesterday’s defeat, Reynders should return to his role within the European Commission for the final months of his term. However, it is unclear what the 65-year-old politician’s future will be within the ranks of the French-speaking Reformist Movement (RM) party. Considering the June 9 Belgian election result, it is highly improbable that he will be confirmed at the Commission for the next institutional cycle, even in the case of a very likely second term von der Leyen Commission.