After a few hiccups and a lot of grumbling in the selection process, Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday her list of 27 commissioners-designate for the new EU Commission. The next step is for the EU Parliament to approve her candidates. Each member state has been assigned a post, but a glance at the commentary sections shows that not everyone is satisfied with their portfolio, and opinions also differ on the overall lineup.
Many women and Spain gets a top portfolio
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Spain's El País sees two reasons for celebration:
“Teresa Ribera will be a sort of super commissioner with significant influence on European industrial policy. She will apply the antitrust rules and oversee state aid and mergers. This is a key position and will make Spain one of the EU's main partners. ... In her new term in office, von der Leyen has announced that she is reserving the right to change the structure of the Commission. And she has appointed 40 percent women to the top of the commissions. Although this falls short of the strict parity she had hoped for, she has nevertheless almost doubled the pitiful 22 percent that would have resulted from the governments' proposals.”
Skilfully put together
Finland's Helsingin Sanomat is full of praise:
“When the new commission takes office at the end of the year, war will probably still be raging in Ukraine. Relations between the US and Europe could be thrown into turmoil in the wake of November's presidential elections. Security, health, the economy, technology and military power will be even more intertwined. The challenges are formidable, but von der Leyen has very skilfully packaged the commissioners' tasks. Almost every country can boast about the clout of its portfolio.”
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More power for Meloni
The biggest winner here is Italy's Prime Minister, says Germany's the Stuttgarter Zeitung:
“The post-fascist has managed to place one of her loyal followers, Raffaele Fitto, in one of the most influential posts in the Commission. He will become vice-president and commissioner for cohesion and reforms. This means he will be responsible for the European Social Fund and a fund for regional development, among other things. Meloni is over the moon about this decision, as it secures her additional power and influence in Brussels. However with this appointment, Ursula von der Leyen has lodged a political time bomb in her own Commission. Many members of the European Parliament are quite rightly appalled and have announced their opposition to the far-right Italian.”
Thankless policing role for Ireland
The fact that Michael McRath is to become justice commissioner shows how little influence Ireland wields in Brussels, writes The Irish Times:
“Forget the soothing diplomatic tones from Dublin – justice is a portfolio nobody wanted. Justice means guaranteed (and often personalised) conflict with states such as Hungary and Slovakia. ... The reality is that in a decade Ireland has gone from holding agriculture and rural development (a third of the EU budget), to trade (the crown jewel of the EU's competencies) via financial services (stripped of the important bits) to the thankless task of policing wannabe European dictators under a 'democracy shield'.”
Disappointment in Prague
Czech Minister for Industry Jozef Síkela was tipped to become Commissioner for Trade or Energy, but he's now been given the International Partnerships portfolio. Reflex notes with disappointment:
“What a let-down. ... We've once again lost the battle for a truly strong economic portfolio. This has been going on for 20 years, ever since we joined the EU. Yet both the government and Síkela are touting the allocated portfolio as a success because it means that a Czech politician will have many officials under him and manage a large budget. But this is not a victory. Once again it has been made clear that our influence within the EU is limited.”
Wrangling over posts has paid off
Večer is delighted that after all the back-and-forth over the appointment of its candidate, Slovenia is to take on the task of EU expansion:
“If Marta Kos passes the hearing, she will not only head the portfolio for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, but also that for the other eastern neighbours, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Her portfolio will also be responsible for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, which involves a lot of money. This is indeed a victory for Slovenia. Just think: even if Marta Kos fails the parliamentary committee hearing, the portfolio will still be available to Slovenia.”
Reprinted from Eurotopics. You can find the original here.
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