Von der Leyen unveils new College of Commissioners. Six executive vice-presidents; Fitto for Reforms and Cohesion

Brussels – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today (Sept. 17) unveiled to the European Parliament the composition of the College of Commissioners that will accompany her in the 2024-29 five-year period. By the skin of her teeth, the EU leader managed to indicate not only the structure of the College but also the delegations given to each of the 26 commissioners, six of which will be part of the inner circle of executive vice presidents, including Italy’s Raffaele Fitto. However, within the College, “each member is equal to the other,” von der Leyen said.

The structure of the second German-led European Commission revolves around three “key priorities”: prosperity, security, and democracy. Looming in the background is the goal of twin green and digital transition. In line with “one of the main recommendations” in the Draghi report, “the whole college is committed to competitiveness,” the EU leader assured.

Von der Leyen had to jump through hoops to ensure a sufficient standard in terms of gender, political background, and geographic balance. In the end, eleven women and sixteen men: von der Leyen claimed credit for improving the balance, raising the share of women from 22 percent to 40 percent.

Below is the list presented by the president of the European Commission, starting with the six executive vice presidents – four women and two men – of whom, von der Leyen specified, “three come from member states that joined the EU before the fall of the Iron Curtain and three from member states that joined after the reunification of Europe.”

Teresa Ribera (Spain) will be the executive vice president for a clean, fair competitive transition. She will also be responsible for competition policy. She will lead the work to ensure that Europe stays on track with the goals of the European Green Deal. And that the decarbonization and industrialization of the EU economy happen simultaneously.

Henna Virkkunen (Finland) will be the executive vice president for technology sovereignty, security, and democracy. She will also be responsible for the portfolio on digital and frontier technologies. “I will ask Henna to take care of the internal and external aspects of security. But also to strengthen the foundations of our democracy, such as the rule of law, and to protect it wherever it is attacked,” von der Leyen pointed out.

Stéphane Séjourné (France) will be the the executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy. He will also be responsible for the Industry, SMEs, and Single Market portfolio. He will lead the work to create the conditions for business prosperity, from investment to innovation from economic stability to trade and economic security.

Kaja Kallas (Estonia) will replace Josep Borrell as High Representative and Vice President. Kallas is not a von der Leyen appointment but was proposed and elected by the member states at the July European Council. “I know I can count on her to act as a bridge between our internal and external policies and to make sure we remain a geopolitical Commission,” von der Leyen commented.

Roxana Mînzatu (Romania) will be the executive vice president for people, skills, and preparedness. She will be responsible for skills, education, culture, quality jobs, and social rights. All in the area of demography. Mînzatu will particularly lead the Skills Union and the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Raffaele Fitto (Italy) will be the executive vice president for Cohesion and Reforms. He will be responsible for the portfolio dealing with cohesion policy, regional development, and cities. “We will draw on his extensive experience to help modernize and strengthen our cohesion, investment, and growth policies,” von der Leyen said.

Here is the list of the 20 commissioners with their respective portfolios.

Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia), former Vice-President of the European Commission, to whom von der Leyen has given two roles: he will be the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, a new portfolio that also includes customs policy and the Commissioner for Inter-institutional Relations and Transparency.

Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia), also with a dual mandate. He will be the Commissioner for Economy and Productivity and the Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification.

Dubravka Šuica (Croatia) will be the Commissioner for the Mediterranean. A new role, integrated into the broader Southern Neighborhood. She will work closely with Kaja Kallas – and many other Commissioners – to develop common interests with the region.

Olivér Várhely (Hungary) will be Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. He will be responsible for building the European Health Union and continuing the work on cancer control and preventive health care.

Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands) will be the Commissioner for Climate, Clean Growth, and Zero Emissions. He will continue to work on implementation and adaptation, climate diplomacy, and decarbonization. He will also be responsible for taxation.

Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania) will be the Commissioner for Defense and Space. He will be in charge of developing the European Defense Union and enhancing investment and industrial capacity.

Marta Kos (Slovenia) will be Commissioner for Enlargement, also responsible for the Eastern Neighborhood. It should be noted that the appointment procedure, which includes consultation with the national parliament for a non-binding opinion, is still ongoing. She will be in charge of supporting Ukraine, continuing reconstruction work, and supporting candidate countries to prepare them for accession.

Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic) will be the Commissioner for International Partnerships. He will lead the work on the Global Gateway and ensure the development of mutually beneficial partnerships that invest in a common future.

Costas Kadis (Cyprus) will be the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans. “I count on his experience to help build a resilient, competitive, and sustainable sector and to present the first European Ocean Pact,” von der Leyen commented.

Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal) will be the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investment Union. She will be instrumental in strengthening and completing the Capital Markets Union and ensuring that private investment fuels productivity and innovation.

Hadja Lahbibib (Belgium) will be the Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. This is another new portfolio that will focus on resilience, preparedness, and civil protection. She will be responsible for leading EU efforts in crisis management and humanitarian aid.

Magnus Brunner (Austria) will be the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration. He will focus on implementing the Pact on Asylum and Migration, but also on strengthening borders and developing a new internal security strategy.

Jessika Roswall (Sweden) will be the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy. She will have the important task of helping to preserve our environment and put nature on the budget. She will help develop a more circular and competitive economy. And it will lead the work on water resilience, which is a big priority for the coming years.

Piotr Serafin (Poland) will be the Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud, and Public Administration. He will focus in particular on preparing the next long-term budget and ensuring that we have a modern institution capable of providing services to European citizens.

Dan Jørgensen (Denmark) will be the Commissioner for Energy and Housing. His work will help reduce energy prices, invest in clean energy and ensure that our dependencies are reduced. He will be the first housing commissioner to cover everything from energy efficiency to investment and construction.

Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria) will be Commissioner for Research and Innovation. She will help ensure greater investment and focus spending on strategic priorities and innovative innovation.

Michael McGrath (Ireland) will be the Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law. Von der Leyen has given him responsibility for advancing the European Democracy Shield. He will also lead the EU’s work on the rule of law, anti-corruption and consumer protection.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece) will be the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. He is responsible for the mobility of goods and people. These are essential areas for our competitiveness and for our transitions, connecting people and boosting local economies.

Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg) will be the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. He will be responsible for bringing to life the report and recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. Based on the Strategic Dialogue, he will develop a Vision for Agriculture and Food in the first 100 days of his term.

Glenn Micallef (Malta) will be Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Culture, Youth, and Sports. Inter-generational equity is a cross-cutting issue. “It concerns all of us, and especially young people,” von der Leyen pointed out.

What happens now

Today’s presentation paves the way for the start of the confirmation hearing process once Parliament has received all the necessary documentation. First, the European Parliament’s Legal Committee will review the declarations of interest of the Commissioners-designate. This is a prerequisite for the conduct of the confirmation hearings.

The response of each commissioner-designate to written questions submitted by the House will be posted on the House website before the confirmation hearing. The Conference of Presidents will schedule the confirmation hearings based on a recommendation from the Conference of Committee Chairs. Each commissioner-designate will be invited to appear before the relevant committee or committees for a single three-hour confirmation hearing. However, in the case of particularly large or complex portfolios involving more than one committee, the confirmation hearing may last up to four hours.

Parliament will evaluate commissioners-designate on their general competence, European commitment, and personal independence, as well as assess their knowledge of the potential portfolio and their communication skills. The committee coordinators will evaluate the individual commissioners-designate after the confirmation hearing and prepare a single letter of evaluation for each commissioner-designate. To be approved, coordinators representing a majority of at least two-thirds of the committee members belonging to a political group must approve the commissioner-designate. If this majority is not achieved, additional information may be requested through written questions or a new 1.5-hour confirmation hearing.

The letters of evaluation are forwarded to the Conference of Presidents, which may declare the confirmation hearings closed and authorize their publication. Following the successful outcome of the confirmation hearings, the President-elect will present the College of Commissioners and their program to the full House, which will be followed by a debate and a vote to elect or reject the Commission as a whole by a majority of votes cast (by roll call).