EU forms new team of commissioners: who will join
Kyiv • UNN
Most EU countries have already nominated candidates for the new European Commission. Among them are both new names and current commissioners. The key issues will be EU enlargement and negotiations with Ukraine.
Some countries, like France and Greece, are still deciding whether to send back their current commissioners. But there are new names in the EU, they will have to be vetted. Writes UNN citing Politico.
Details
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expects EU national governments to send the names of those they want to see in the next team of commissioners.
Each country gets one commissioner. Von der Leyen asks each country to nominate one man and one woman, unless the incumbent commissioner remains in office.
The documents of nine member states are already on the table. These are Germany and Estonia, which have been decided, as well as 7 other countries, whose candidacies will have to be vetted by the EU executive and 720 members of the European Parliament. Afterwards, the official inauguration.
What are the new names and who is bringing back the previous official?
- Spain hopes to get a big energy and climate package for Environmental Transition Minister Teresa Ribera.
- Sweden is sending its EU minister Jessica Rosewall.
- Finland sends MEP Henna Virkkunen.
- Slovenia nominates former Audit Chamber chairman Tomaž Vesel.
- Ireland nominates finance minister Michael McGrath.
- Czech Republic nominates Industry and Trade Minister Josef Sikela.
Also, representatives of some countries elect officials already familiar with the position.
- Slovakia has re-nominated outgoing EU Commission Executive Vice-President in charge of inter-institutional relations and the Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, who could thus receive his fourth consecutive mandate.
- Latvia has decided for the third time in a row to elect the outgoing EU Commission executive vice president in charge of the economy, Valdis Dombrovskis.
- Croatia - although the government has not yet officially named Dubravka Šuica, but it is likely that the official will be re-elected as an EU commissioner.
- Dutch Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra joined the European Commission in October as a replacement for climate czar Frans Timmermans and will return for another five years, although his party is not part of the Dutch government.
- It remains to be seen whether the leaders of France and Greece will decide to send back their current commissioners Thierry Breton and Margaritis Schinas.
Supplement
France plans to create an economic super-portfolio to help manage the bloc's industrial program in the face of competition from the U.S. and China. But Italy is also looking for that role.
One of the most important questions is whether von der Leyen will choose to please far-right leader Georgia Meloni? Or will he leave her with a more symbolic Mediterranean portfolio, Politico writes.
Context of Ukraine
The EU Commission may prioritize the issue of enlargement. Negotiations on the EU enlargement to include Ukraine will be one of the most politically sensitive tasks of the Commission, the newspaper said.
