Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė named MEP Andrius Kubilius as a potential candidate to the European Commission on Monday. His candidacy was harmonised with the president and has to be approved by parliament.
„For the country it is the most beneficial to have a candidate whose past and present political experience could cover and be eligible for as many portfolios as possible. (&) This is nothing personal and I think we chose a truly pragmatic, smart and rational option. A person who was the prime minister of Lithuania twice is a serious candidate and in this sense a more serious candidate than the party’s leader,“ the president said in an interview to the radio station Žinių radijas on Tuesday.
According to Nausėda, Kubilius is a better candidate than Landsbergis who is focused solely on foreign politics and has shown little interest in economic and social issues.
Moreover, Nausėda questioned Landsbergis’ character traits, stressing that he should have been more upfront about his family purchasing a villa in Greece.
According to the president, 6 or 7 potential candidates to the European Commission were discussed with the prime minister but they refused the nomination so that the leader of the TS-LKD would be appointed to the European Commission. Nausėda says when it became clear that this would not happen, the name of Kubilius emerged finally and he agreed to become a European commissioner.
Last week, in an interview to ELTA, Landsbergis stated that President Nausėda was blocking his candidacy to the European Commission.