The standing president of the European Council: intergovernmental or supranational leadership?

Abstract

This contribution explores the leadership of the European Council’s first standing president, Herman van Rompuy. It questions whether van Rompuy primarily acted as a neutral broker among the member states, or whether he aspired to push forward integration beyond national preferences. In the first case, he would strengthen the intergovernmental dimension of the EU and perform as a transactional leader; in the second case, he might favour the Union’s supranational dynamics and exercise transforming leadership. Drawing on theoretical approaches regarding European Council presidencies, the analytical framework specifies the leadership demand and supply of presidents in intergovernmental negotiations. Empirically, the contribution analyses van Rompuy’s leadership in the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework 2014–2020. This analysis shows that van Rompuy primarily acted as a broker, while his leadership supply was rather weak. In conclusion, he largely strengthened the intergovernmental dimension of the EU and particularly acted in favour of the preferences of the powerful member states.