Editor’s note (February 19th): On February 19th Ursula von der Leyen announced that she would seek a second term as president of the European Commission.
Featuring on a criminal “wanted” list usually crimps one’s options for future employment. But when the country issuing the notice is Russia and the alleged outlaw is the prime minister of neighbouring Estonia, it can be a useful CV-enhancer. Reports that Kaja Kallas is one of a slew of Baltic politicians the Kremlin wants arrested—something to do with removing Soviet war memorials—may help her candidacy in the upcoming scramble for top EU jobs. The hawkish prime minister is among those who fancy their chances of trading up from a national post to a continental one, after the European Parliament elections from June 6th-9th. The process of replacing the bloc’s top officials usually entails a lot of undignified squabbling. A bit of planning would reduce the angst and avoid divisions, at a time when Europe can ill afford them.