Economic portfolios are key in talks to choose new EU commissioners
Isabel Marques da Silva, Euronews, 28.08.2024
Quotes
All governments must announce their nominees for the European Commission by 30 August.
Ursula von der Leyen is facing challenging negotiations to create her new College of Commissioners with economic portfolios among the most coveted by European Union member states.
Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Czechia and Romania have all indicated they hope to claim one such portfolio, with the one including the budget highly sought after.
"We have the Multiannual Financial Framework to be negotiated in the next term. This will be a very difficult and very heavy dossier, but it will also be something which will be very determining the priorities of the years to come," Janis Emmanouilidis, a senior policy analyst at the European Policy Center (EPC), told Euronews. [...]
To complete the "puzzle" and designate executive vice-presidents, the centre-right Commission chief will also have to take into account which political parties backed her reappointment in the European Parliament in July.
"One can assume that again - given that she is from the EPP, the Conservative Party - there should be a Socialist, a Liberal, and potentially a Green, among the top positions in the Commission," Emmanouilidis said. [...]
The gender issue
Another trump card to use in the negotiations with the 27 capitals is gender balance as requested by von der Leyen whose first college achieved parity. But fewer than 10 women have been nominated so far by governments to head to Brussels.
"She can argue that if the country offers a very good candidate, then it can also offer her a very interesting portfolio. There are these kinds of backroom deals that can be made to put pressure on member states. So it's a mix of gender, political and geographical issues, a very complex agreement to implement," Emmanouilidis said. [...]
Read full text & video here
Latest media contributions
EPC Update – Democracy at work: The vote on von der Leyen and impact of key elections
Online Briefing, YouTube, 19.07.2024
"Von der Leyen hat Kompromisse gefunden"
Interview, rbb24 inforadio, 18.07.2024
Neue EU-Schulden? Die Frankreich-Wahl spielt Olaf Scholz in die Karten
Quotes, Die Welt, 12.07.2024
Γιάννης Εμμανουηλίδης στην «Κ»: Οδηγούμαστε σε καθεστώς σύγχυσης
Interview, Kathimerini (GR), 07.07.2024
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing – The June Summit: A new EU leadership and an ambitious strategic agenda?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 28.06.2024
Ε.Ε.: Οι νέοι συσχετισμοί και η μοιρασιά των αξιωμάτων
Quotes, Kathimerini (GR), 16.06.2024
Was kommt nach der EU-Wahl?
Radio talkshow, Ö1 (Austria), 05.06.2024
Wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego. Skrajna prawica zyska kosztem głównego nurtu?
Quotes, Polskie Radio, 25.05.2024
"Wir leben in einem Zeitalter der Permakrise"
Interview, ORF, 24.05.2024