Michel still in the spotlight

No one could accuse Louis Michel of keeping a low profile in the aftermath of the Belgian election campaign. Michel had taken a month's leave from his job as a European commissioner to campaign for his Walloon liberal party before the elections on Sunday (10 June). He was back at work at the Commission on Monday (11 June), had a meeting on Tuesday with Robert Zoellick, candidate for the presidency of the World Bank, and put forward a proposal on humanitarian aid on Wednesday. Cynics might wonder why Michel had to appear on various televisions channels giving a political commentary on the results on Sunday evening. The reason, as Didier Reynders, Michel's party colleague, explained during the previous week, is that there are two contests: one ahead of the elections, which happens in public and on which the voters are allowed a say; one afterwards, which goes on behind closed doors, as the parties haggle over forming a government coalition. Michel has clearly decided to participate in both.
Michel's predecessor as Belgium's European commissioner, Philippe Busquin, won a seat in the senate, but has yet to decide whether he will take it up, or opt to stay in the European Parliament.