Moscovici: Centeno has “the required qualities” to head the Eurogroup

Mário Centeno is clearly among the candidates that have “the required qualities” to head the Eurogroup. This was a statement made by the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, who recalls, however, that there are several candidates that meet the requirements for taking on the leadership of the position that is still held by Dijsselbloem.

“Several candidates have the required qualities. And, Mário Centeno is clearly among them. But I also think it might not be so obvious that a socialist will head the Eurogroup. And he is not the only one that might get there. That will be decided before this Thursday”, Moscovici told the Portuguese radio station TSF, in Brussels.

The deadline for handing in the applications for the leadership of the Eurogroup ends this Thursday, November 30^th, and a decision will be made on December 4^th. Mário Centeno does not reveal it, but he might be one of the candidates. Moscovici hopes that a “good leader” will be among those applying to head the Eurogroup.

“I think there should be at least one good candidate to head the Eurogroup, because this group needs leadership. It is never easy. It is very important to have a good and strong leader, who is devoted to the European project and that knows that, at the same time, one needs to be both serious and flexible”, the Commissioner highlights, acknowledging he would “like to work with Mário [Centeno], but also with Pier Carlo [Padoan] or whoever the president of the Eurogroup will be. Because there are very good [potential] candidates”.

“Whoever becomes president, I would like for it to be, in principle, for a short amount of time, until we have a new Commission”, Moscovici believes.