Belgium delays EU Commissioner pick, gender parity in question
With the exception of Belgium, the EU member states have already announced their nominees for European Commissioners.
The head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, now has until September 11 to allocate the posts—which are equivalent to "ministries" within the EU executive—before she announces the composition of the Commission to the European Parliament. The individual hearing of each Commissioner will follow.
Out of the 27 names of potential European Commissioners, 25 posts remain to be filled, as two are already confirmed: Ursula von der Leyen herself, representing Germany, will serve as the head of the executive, and Estonian Kaja Kallas will lead EU diplomacy, akin to a foreign minister, replacing the current High Representative, the Spaniard Josep Borrell.
Of the remaining 24 countries—excluding Germany, Estonia, and Belgium, which has yet to announce a nominee—only one, Bulgaria, has adhered to Ursula von der Leyen's explicit request to present two candidates for the commissioner post, one male and one female.
Notably, seven countries have put forward only one female nominee, of whom two—von der Leyen herself and the Croatian Dubravka Šuica—are already serving on the Commission. Moreover, of the 27 posts, seven of the proposed individuals are already European Commissioners, for whom the hearing before the European Parliament will likely be a mere formality.
Romania has nominated PSD MEP Victor Negrescu, a former Minister of European Affairs. It was anticipated that the proposal would come from PSD, in line with the practice of alternation, given that Romania's previous representative, Adina Vălean, who held the transport portfolio without much distinction, is affiliated with PNL.
The allocation of portfolios depends exclusively on Ursula von der Leyen, as does the definition of responsibilities, before the individual candidates are presented to the European Parliament. It is understood that she intends to create a Commissioner post for the Mediterranean, at the request of countries most exposed to illegal migration, namely Greece and Italy, as well as a highly controversial post of Commissioner for Defense and Security, which has never existed before.
Author: Dan Alexe
Translation by Iurie Tataru
