Eurogroup, Lithuanian minister also withdraws candidacy: Donohoe likely to be confirmed as president

Brussels, July 7 (LaPresse) – After Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo withdrew his candidacy for the presidency of the Eurogroup, the third candidate, Lithuania’s Rimantas Sadzius, has also decided to step back. This paves the way for the reconfirmation of Ireland’s Paschal Donohoe. “I am also withdrawing my candidacy in the name of consensus within the Eurogroup. So I think you already know the name of the winner,” Sadzius said upon arriving at the meeting in Brussels. “My colleague Carlos Cuerpo just announced he is pulling out of the race for the presidency of the Eurogroup, and the same goes for me. It has been an honor to take part in this campaign,” he said. “It truly was a campaign, especially for me, coming from a member state that joined the euro ten years ago and wasn’t part of the Eurozone from the beginning. In fact, I was the one who led my country into the Eurozone. So it has been a privilege to be part of this election. I’ve always maintained that the Eurogroup should operate based on consensus. I believe that is happening today: we’ll be able to choose our next president—or rather, reconfirm the current one—for the next two and a half years by consensus.”
“I don’t think it’s about the political map of Europe. Minister Cuerpo clearly represented the social democratic side of the political spectrum. I am also a social democrat, but I believe what we need is leadership through all challenges, without political affiliation,” he added. “Paschal Donohoe enjoys very strong support within the Eurogroup,” he concluded.