Former EU Commissioner and prime minister of Romania Dacian Cioloş, currently president of local party PLUS, is running for president of the Renew Europe political group in the European Parliament, according to his statement for Politico.

The Renew Group Europe is formed by centrist parties gathered around the party of French president Emmanuel Macron, En Marche, and ALDE Europe.

Cioloş turned into the favorite in the race for head of this group, after Nathalie Loiseau, the head of En Marche’s caucus in the EP, pulled out of the competition due to disagreements with some colleagues in her own party. If he wins the race, Ciolos will be the first Romanian to lead a political group in the European Parliament.

The Romanian USR-PLUS alliance is the third largest player in the Renewed Europe group, with 8 MEPs. Asked by the European publication if he remains in Brussels amid speculation that he could return to domestic politics, Cioloş said: “In my mandate, I am ready to put all my energy to make this group work and bring concrete results for citizens.”

However, Ciolos is also a potential candidate of the USR-PLUS alliance for this year’s presidential elections in Romania.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Alianta 2020 USR PLUS)