The revelation of the “Politico” ranking, or how the elite of the Brussels bubble find themselves at a gala evening

LETTER FROM BRUSSELS

This year, the site Politico made Giorgia Meloni, the president of the Italian council, the “the most powerful personality in Europe”. The methodology for the annual ranking of the twenty-eight men and women who count on the Old Continent is not scientific. It comes more from the wet finger, the spirit of the times and the assessments of journalists from Politico. But the result of the races, announced during an evening which aims to be inspired by the traditional dinner of media correspondents at the White House – dress code included: tuxedo and evening dress – is no less telling.

While in Paris, the failed dissolution of the National Assembly desired by Emmanuel Macron in June triggered a serious political crisis and in Berlin, Olaf Scholz resolved to early elections, thus ending three years of an impossible coalition, Rome today appears to be a strong power. Moreover, neither the French president nor the German chancellor were selected by Politico for the latest edition of its ranking. Emmanuel Macron, who was the man of the year 2020, was excluded, unlike Marine Le Pen who has his place there for the third year in a row. Olaf Scholz, who, although never having reached the top step of the podium, made several forays there, has also disappeared from the list.

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