[heracles]

Regarding "personal branding": most people in the EU doesn't even know the name of the 1-3 top ranking officials in the EU. So while there might be all kinds of personal reasons for this (I can't possibly rule that out), public appeal as I perceive it from the USA it not a factor AT ALL.

Most members in the EU also completely lacks the "personal branding" of judges, they usually aren't elected and politics and law intertwine less so in EU than in USA (again, as I understand USA).