Nadia Calviño has officially presented his candidacy to chair the European Investment Bank (EIB), according to sources to which EL MUNDO has had access. The first vice-president of the Government and head of the Economy portfolio has not wanted to stray from the script in recent months before the electoral advance of 23-J and publicly has limited herself to reiterating her support for Pedro Sánchez’s project, although rumors about his possible candidacy have not ceased in recent times. with this move Calviño gives a step to one side and, if the Spanish candidacy goes ahead, a future socialist Executive will have to seek a replacement for one of the key figures of what is still the acting Government.
The race to preside over one of the main community financial institutions will not be easy. Spain made it clear before the summer its intention to fight to preside over the body, although it has been the only State that has done so without putting a name on the table, with a candidacy without a candidate to occupy the position. armchair that the German Werner Hoyer will leave vacant on January 1 of next year, the date on which his term ends. The deadline for submitting applications to the EIB initially ended on June 16, but the truth is that Spain has managed to extend that period not only for our country but for the rest of the 27 member states.
Sources from the Ministry of Economy limit themselves to emphasizing that a first evaluation of candidates will be carried out in the coming weeks and it will not be until next October when the decision will be adopted by the Board of Governors of the EIB.
On the table there are already several candidates, but the Danish Margrethe Vestager stands out above all, who would have the support of countries like France. The liberal Vestager, who publicly applied for the position at the end of June, is the current vice-president of the European Commission in charge of Competition. She previously held the position of Minister of the Economy and the Interior in her country, but, without a doubt, her face has been recognized in recent years for approving exemplary fines and billions of dollars against the big American technology companies, such as Google, Amazon or Apple. She is the great rival to beat for Spain.
Another profile to consider is that of the Italian Daniele Franco, who was finance minister during the Mario Draghi government.