Potential candidates emerge for leadership of eurozone bailout fund

Potential candidates emerge for leadership of eurozone bailout fund

Good morning and welcome to Europe Express.

The race for a successor at the helm of the eurozone bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, is formally kicking off next week when the application process begins. A few names of potential candidates have already emerged and we’ll bring you up to speed with who could succeed Klaus Regling, who has chaired the ESM since its creation 10 years ago.

In gas payment news, the European Commission yesterday made it clear that Moscow’s new requirements that force European energy companies to set up rouble accounts in Russia were in breach of the sanctions regime.

With Emmanuel Macron having secured his second term in office, one project that had been put off in the run-up to the French presidential elections is slowly being revived again: EU’s free trade deal with Chile.

And the idea of decoupling electricity and gas markets — floated by several countries, notably France and Spain — is getting some serious pushback from the EU’s energy regulator (Acer), in a report to be released later today.

Bailout boss

With a vacancy looming at the eurozone bailout fund later this year, member states are beginning to discuss potential candidates, write Sam Fleming in Brussels and Peter Wise