enr - Brussels

21 September 2024

Ursula von der Leyen presented her candidates for the future EU Commission. Many women are in top jobs, but she did not meet her gender parity target.

After weeks of speculation and backdoor negotiations, on Tuesday the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented her team of European commissioners. The next step in the commissioners’ approval process are hearings of the Commissioners-designate in the European Parliament. 

The work of the new EU Commission (2024-2029) will primarily focus on security and competitiveness rather than climate protection. On the staff front, the appointment of the right-wing populist Raffaele Fitto, a member of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party, as one of the vice-presidents of the EU Commission remains particularly contentious.

Five years ago, the focus was clear: “Last time, the issue of global warming was absolutely top,” said von der Leyen, and that the topic was still dominant with regard to forest fires and floods. ”But this time, for example, the topic of security, triggered by the Russian war in Ukraine, but also the topic of competitiveness, has much more influence” on the organisation of her team, von der Leyen said. The new team should work in a “more fluid, more intertwined” way so that everything contributes to broad objectives of “prosperity, security and democracy”. 

The new strategy is also reflected in the newly created post of Defense Commissioner. It is to be filled by Lithuania’s former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius – and therefore someone from a country that borders Russia. “He will work to develop the European Defence Union and strengthen our investments and industrial capacities,” emphasised von der Leyen. 

For weeks, speculations have been doing the rounds on social media and behind closed doors as to who would take on which position. Von der Leyen has filled many of the top jobs in her new Commission team with women. She gave attractive portfolios to countries that respected her request to replace their male candidates with women, such as the Enlargement portfolio to Slovenian Marta Kos or an Executive Vice-Presidency position to Romanian Roxana Minzatu. 

Additionally, four of the six top roles of other Executive Vice-Presidents will be taken over by women – Spain’s Teresa Ribera, Finland’s Henna Virkkunen, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas and Romania’s Roxana Mînzatu. The remaining two posts will be filled by men – France‘s Stéphane Séjourné and controversial Italian Raffaele Fitto.

Despite the efforts, von der Leyen has failed to achieve her goal of gender parity. She explained that 40 percent of the new Commission would be women and 60 percent men. According to von der Leyen, the heads of state and government had originally proposed almost 80 percent men. “That was completely unacceptable,” von der Leyen said. 

The EU Commission, a legislative body with around 32,000 employees, proposes laws for the Union and monitors compliance with EU law. The College of Commissioners –  consisting of 27 members from 27 EU member states – coordinates the work of the whole EU Commission.  

Fitto’s appointment criticised  

One name among the Commissioner candidates raised eyebrows even before the presentation. Italian’s right-wing populist Raffaele Fitto, minister for Europe in the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, should now become one of the Executive Vice-Presidents and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. This would make him responsible for the European Social Fund and a fund for regional development, among others.

“Raffaele Fitto will be responsible for the portfolio dealing with cohesion policy, regional development and cities,” von der Leyen said during the press conference on Tuesday. “We will draw on his extensive experience to help modernise and strengthen our cohesion, investment and growth policies,” von der Leyen added. “Italy is a very important country and this must also be reflected in our choice,” the President of the EU Commission stressed. 

Raffaele Fitto said he felt honoured after Ursula von der Leyen appointed him to her new team of Commissioners on Tuesday. “I intend to exercise the role entrusted to me, once the process of approving the new Commission is complete, with the utmost commitment and in full compliance with the Treaties and their spirit, in the knowledge that the next five years will be crucial for the future of the EU and its citizens.”

Meanwhile the liberal Renew group on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction at the decision to nominate Fitto. “I deplore von der Leyen’s political decision to give an executive vice-presidency to Raffaele Fitto,” said Renew President Valérie Hayer. Renew would wait for the presentation hearings in the European Parliament. “We will evaluate him on his skills, on his pro-European commitments, on his independence and on his coherence with the July guidelines – there will be maximum vigilance from us,” she said. “The pro-EU forces must unite: We must not leave room for populists of the right and left.”  

The Greens also said they would “not give Raffaele Fitto an easy ride” in the European Parliament. “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”, Greens Co-president Terry Reintke said. 

Commissioners-designate: 

Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Spain) – Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition

Henna Virkkunen (Finland) – Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy

Stéphane Séjourné (France) – Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy

Kaja Kallas (Estonia) – High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission

Roxana Mînzatu (Romania) – Executive Vice-President for People, Skills and Preparedness

Raffaele Fitto (Italy) – Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms

Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia) – Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency

Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia) – Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification

Dubravka Šuica (Croatia) – Commissioner for Mediterranean

Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary) – Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare

Wopke Hoekstra (the Netherlands) – Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth

Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania) – Commissioner for Defence and Space

Marta Kos (Slovenia) – Commissioner for Enlargement

Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic) – Commissioner for International Partnerships

Costas Kadis (Cyprus) – Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans

Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal) – Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union

Hadja Lahbib (Belgium) – Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management; Equality

Magnus Brunner (Austria) – Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

Jessika Roswall (Sweden) – Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

Piotr Serafin (Poland) – Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration

Dan Jørgensen (Denmark) – Commissioner for Energy and Housing

Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria) – Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation

Michael McGrath (Ireland) – Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law

Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece) – Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg) – Commissioner for Agriculture and Food

Glenn Micallef (Malta) – Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport

Member States’ reactions to the nominations:

AUSTRIA: According to a press release, Magnus Brunner, a candidate for Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration said: “It is an honour for me to have been given the portfolio for internal security and migration in the EU Commission by President Ursula Von der Leyen. This area is central to the future and functioning of the European Union.” Austria has taken a clear position on internal security in Europe and is successfully combating illegal migration. “We face major challenges, but also opportunities to strengthen Europe’s values and security.”

BELGIUM: Belgium’s Hadja Lahbib got the Preparedness and Crisis Management portfolio. Lahbib, who entered into politics only two years ago and immediately became Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be responsible for leading the European efforts on crisis management and humanitarian aid. Lahbib will also be responsible for equality policy. “Her portfolio reflects her political career,” von der Leyen said.

The most heard reaction in Belgium is that Lahbib will not be able to exert much political influence with the competences she was handed. And that is because the country waited until the very last minute to nominate Lahbib als Commissioner designate. “Procrastination and haggling have unfortunately saddled Belgium with a weak portfolio,” Green MEP Sara Matthieu reacted. “It is high time for Belgian politicians to start appreciating the post of European Commissioner better.”

BULGARIA: Ekaterina Zaharieva, designated for the position of Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said her portfolio is incredibly important. She expressed gratitude to von der Leyen and to the Bulgarian Government for the confidence she was entrusted with and added that she is aware of the scope of her responsibility. She said: “The portfolio that Bulgaria received is one of the portfolios of the future. It is extremely important and at the heart of the current and the next Commission.”

CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech MEPs in Strasbourg were expressing both satisfaction and disappointment after Ursula von der Leyen announced that she intends to entrust the Czech representative Jozef Sikela with international partnership and development aid issues in the new European Commission.

While politicians in the government camp are talking about the strongest portfolio ever held by a Czech commissioner, it is not only opposition lawmakers who consider energy or trade to be stronger portfolios, which have been suggested. “No Czech commissioner has ever had such a strong portfolio,” said Tomas Zdechovsky, member of the European People’s Party (EPP), assessing von der Leyen’s decision. Communist MEP Katerina Konecna described the portfolio as a slap in the face for Czechia. “Mr Sikela will just do the dirty work for Brussels again, which is what our government is used to,” she said.

PORTUGAL: “We emphasise the crucial portfolio assigned to Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, nominated by Portugal,” Prime Minister Luís Montenegro wrote in a statement. Maria Luís Albuquerque will take up the post of the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. “This is essential for progress, for the sustainability of Europe’s social and economic project, and for the Union’s ability to meet the expectations, needs and interests of European and Portuguese citizens.”

SLOVENIA: Slovenia has been assigned the enlargement portfolio by the new European Commission, one that it has always had an interest in. “The enlargement portfolio is proof that Slovenia is valued and respected in the international community,” said Prime Minister Robert Golob immediately after the announcement of von der Leyen’s decision, describing it as a historic achievement. “Slovenia is taking on a responsible task.”

“Marta Kos is entrusted with the key to ensuring stability and peace in our immediate neighbourhood and beyond, and how to contribute to stabilising both the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighbourhood through the European idea,” he said. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon also welcomed the allocation of the portfolio to Slovenia.

SPAIN: The Spanish government reacted with great enthusiasm to Teresa Ribera’s nomination for the Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. 

“It is a huge success for Spain. It is the most important portfolio that a Spaniard has ever had in the European Commission,” government sources told Spanish press agency EFE, who consider that Von der Leyen gives the Spanish socialist the “most relevant” one and “entrusts her with the key policies for the structural transformation that she has set as an objective”, based on the reports prepared by the former Italian prime ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi.

SWEDEN: The information that Sweden’s Jessika Roswall will be in charge of environment, water resilience and circular economy came as a surprise, since the Swedish rightwing government rather has been aiming for something to do with productivity or competitiveness. Green and leftist opposition parties are wondering how Roswall will act to support for instance the nature restoration law that the Swedish government fiercely and actively tried to stop. “I hope that she will take her new role seriously and work for Europe as a whole, even though it might mean working against the Swedish government,” says Green’s MEP Alice Bah Kuhnke.

Photo: dpa