On Tuesday (17 September), President von der Leyen announced the names and portfolios of her new College of Commissioners. The new list of Commissioners-designate and their responsibilities align with the ambitions outlined in the Political Guidelines and the European Union’s core priorities of Prosperity, Security and Democracy.
A significant highlight of this Commission is President von der Leyen’s efforts in promoting gender balance. While there is not an equal number of male and female Commissioners (11 women, including the President), von der Leyen achieved balance within the executive leadership team, composed of four women and two men as executive Vice-Presidents.
Another notable outcome is that Southern European countries secured several sought-after economic portfolios. Italy will oversee the portfolio for Cohesion and Reforms, Portugal will manage the Financial Services portfolio, and Spain will manage the Competition portfolio. Additionally, Italian nominee Raffaele Fitto has been appointed as an executive Vice-President despite concerns raised by various political groups regarding his affiliation with Brothers of Italy, a far-right party.
A crucial aspect of this new Commission is von der Leyen’s emphasis that its members are political leaders, not necessarily subject matter experts. Von der Leyen reiterated that “each Member of the College is equal”, and that every Commissioner holds equal responsibility for delivering the EU’s priorities. President von der Leyen described the new Commission structure as “leaner”, “more interactive and interlinked.” Commissioners are set to work together on tasks to achieve the EU’s goals for this mandate.
Von der Leyen’s announcement sets the stage for the European Parliament’s hearing process, which will commence once all necessary documentation is submitted. The European Parliament’s Legal Committee will review the declarations of interest of the Commissioners-designate – a prerequisite for moving forward with the confirmation hearings.
Before the hearings, each Commisioner-designate’s written response to preliminary questions will be published. They will then appear before the relevant Parliamentary Committees for a three-hour hearing. The Parliament will evaluate each candidate based on competence, commitment to European values, personal independence, subject knowledge, and communication skills. Following the hearings, the Committee coordinators will assess each Commissioner-designate and draft a letter of evaluation for each candidate.
