After a tough dispute, the European Parliament is voting today on the composition of the new EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen. The parliamentary committees had previously given the green light for the 26 commissioners. If the plenary session agrees as expected, the new EU Commission can start its work on December 1st.
Big challenges for the new EU Commission
It is expected that Commission President von der Leyen will set different priorities in her second term of office than before. While the climate crisis was one of the driving issues when it took office in 2019, other problems are now likely to come into focus: with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Donald Trump taking office in the USA and the simmering trade dispute with China, the EU is facing the The big question is how it can remain competitive and defend itself.
Von der Leyen is signaling these changed priorities by creating the new position of Defense Commissioner. Lithuania’s former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should ensure that Europe becomes more militarily independent and can invest more easily in European armaments projects.
The war in Ukraine is also likely to concern Estonian Kaja Kallas: As the EU’s new chief diplomat, she will have to deal with the fact that Ukraine’s support against the Russian war of aggression is currently weakening – while the EU is doing little in other conflicts, such as in the Middle East can exert influence.
In addition to the security policy challenges, it is important to make the EU crisis-proof in competition with China or the USA. The designated EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič inherits a trade conflict with China: The EU accuses Beijing of distorting competition through subsidies and decided on extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars last month. China is currently examining countermeasures that could also affect German car manufacturers.
The fight against unwanted migration also remains a long-running issue. The current Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner will be the new commissioner responsible for implementing the hotly contested migration pact. This won’t be easy, as the topic always causes disagreement between the countries – most recently, Germany sparked a debate with temporary controls at all German land borders.
Von der Leyen surprised with nominations – and caused controversy
The vote comes almost six months after the European elections, in which Ursula von der Leyen’s center-right EPP alliance received the most votes. She was then confirmed for her second term as EU Commission President in July and presented her dream team in September. The nomination of the Italian Raffaele Fitto, who will in future be responsible, among other things, for reforms – including the European Social Fund and a funding pot for regional development, caused a particular stir. The right-wing politician is seen by many in Brussels as politically moderate and pro-European. However, the Social Democrats in Parliament strongly objected to a right-wing politician from the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni being given a prominent position such as that of Vice President.
In return, the EPP, which also includes the CDU and CSU, initially blocked the appointment of the socialist Teresa Ribera as Commissioner for Competition Policy and Green Change. Conservative and right-wing MPs accuse the current Spanish Environment Minister of failing to deal with the severe flooding in the Valencia region. Ultimately, however, after long negotiations, the major parliamentary groups reached an agreement so that both Fitto and Ribera can now take office.
The Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, who is criticized for his loyalty to the authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, was also controversial. The large parliamentary groups ultimately agreed to transfer parts of his health and animal welfare portfolio to other commissioners – according to dpa information, for example those on sexual discrimination and self-determination. Critics accuse Orban of restricting the rights of women and sexual minorities in Hungary and, among other things, tightening abortion rights.
The EU Commission, with around 32,000 employees, is the only institution in the European Union to propose laws for the community of states and monitors compliance with EU law. All 27 EU states were allowed to nominate at least one candidate. Because Deutsche von der Leyen is at the head of the authority, there is no additional German commissioner.
