Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President has announced the lineup for her new commission.
All nominees must appear for hearings before European parliament committees, before the full European parliament votes on whether to approve the entire commission.
While some nominees are expected to be received by Members of the European Parliament without much controversy, others may face tough hearings.
The European parliament President, Roberta Metsola, said that the discussion with Ursula von der Leyen “paves the way for Parliament to vet candidates as efficiently as possible.”
“Parliamentary scrutiny will not cut corners,” she said.
Von der Leyen named six executive Vice Presidents: Teresa Ribera; Clean, just and competitive transition, Henna Virkkunen; Tech sovereignty, security and democracy, Stéphane Séjourné; Prosperity and industrial strategy, Kaja Kallas; High representative for foreign affairs, Roxana Mînzatu; People, skills and preparedness and Raffaele Fitto; Cohesion and reforms.
Andrius Kubilius, from Lithuania, is Ursula von der Leyen’s choice to be the new Commissioner for defence and space.
Wopke Hoekstra, from the Netherlands, was named by von der Leyen as the next Commissioner for climate, net zero and clean growth.
Jessika Roswall, from Sweden, was chosen for Commissioner focused on environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy.
Ireland’s Michael McGrath was named by von der Leyen as the next Commissioner for democracy, justice and rule of law.
Dan Jørgensen, from Denmark, was nominated as the new Commissioner for energy and housing.
Valdis Dombrovskis, from Latvia, was nominated to be Commissioner for economy and productivity.
In a press conference, Ursula von der Leyen said that she managed to increase the number of women in the lineup compared to member states’ original proposals, noting that she chose to nominate women for four out of the six executive vice president roles.
The Socialist and Democrats group leader, Iratxe García said that for the next European Commission mandate, her grouping will work to change the rules to make it obligatory for capitals to nominate a man and a woman for commission posts.
The centre-right European People’s party leader, Manfred Weber, celebrated his party family getting 14 posts in the new commission lineup.
Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, also welcomed the new lineup.
“Wopke Hoekstra will take up the post of Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. This is a key portfolio that will help determine our future in Europe: how we shape our economic growth, encourage innovation and invest in a sustainable manner.”
Dick Schoof
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni welcomed the nomination of Raffaele Fitto for a role as an executive Vice President in the new European Commission, calling the move an important recognition for Italy’s central role in the EU.
New European Commission Lineup Criticised
The Left group’s Manon Aubry criticised the new European Commission lineup, arguing that in substance it would be the most right-wing in history.
Terry Reintke, President of the Greens group in the European Parliament, raised concerns about gender equality and the nomination of Italy’s Raffaele Fitto for a senior post.
“We are concerned about the Member States failing to live up to their promises and reach gender equality,” he stated.
“The fact that a candidate from a far-right government is nominated as Vice-President of the European Commission remains a big concern for our Group,” he added.
“Appointing Raffaele Fitto could create a dangerous shift towards the far-right in the Commission and endanger the pro-democratic majority in the European Parliament that voted for Ursula von der Leyen in July. All Commissioner-designates will now face hearings by the members of the European Parliament.”
Terry Reintke
“The Greens/EFA Group will take this role seriously and thoroughly assess all the Commissioner-designates. We will not give Raffaele Fitto an easy ride,” he stressed.
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