Energy and Economy: governments seek a role in the next EU Commission College top portfolios

The appointment process of the new commissioner college is getting into the heart of its initial phase. Informal contacts between the EU governments and the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, occur daily since many candidates are seeking plumb jobs.

Economy matters

The names most bandied about obtaining the mandate for economic matters come primarily from Austria, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. The Czech Republic is also willing to play the game for this office. When Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer proposed, his colleague, the finance minister Magnus Brunner, highlighted his posture as “an experienced government politician with a high level of expertise in financial, economic and competition policy at national and European level.”

The Slovenian government has decided to propose Tomaž Vesel, a former President of the Court of Audit, an expert in the joint OECD-EU initiative to strengthen public governance and promote socio-economic development (SIGMA), and “a high-profile leader with a wealth of experience in various fields.

The outgoing Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, is the card the Dutch government plays for the same office. Many experts wonder about the rigor-based approach he could embrace for the post. His homeland is also well known as one of several “frugal countries.” He was previously Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2022. The leadership at the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party overlayed for some at his governmental post.

The Czech Minister for Industry and Trade, Jozef Sikela, has been a name circulating for the same post. However, his well-considered reputation for a new energy price cap legislation adopted in 2022 during the Czech presidency of the EU Council will probably be awarded an energy or competition-related portfolio.

Never change a winning horse

Many governments seek reconfirmation for their nationals who served in the last European Commission. This case applies to Maros Sefcovic, who was promoted to Executive Vice Presidency and was responsible for the Green Deal after the Dutch Frans Timmermans resigned to devote himself to domestic politics. The Slovakian government is one of many that endorses an outgoing commissioner for reconfirmation. The Executive Vice President responsible for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, was nominated by the Latvian government for a third term.

France will take the chance of a well-respected outgoing commissioner, Thierry Breton, to run the race for an economy-related matters office. However, President Emmanuel Macron’s political weight is turning this option into a faded scenario.

The political isolation gripping Hungary makes it difficult for the current European Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Várhelyi, to remain in his current role. Support for Ukraine and Moldova will be key to the success of the next European Commission and cannot leave room for ambiguities, as Budapest has shown since the start of the Russia-full-scale invasion.

Who are the other’s “top dogs”

The Italian government still needs to nominate a candidate for the Commissioner post. Rome already held the financial services portfolio in the outgoing commission, making a repeat difficult. Negotiations among Italian parties converge on Raffaele Fitto, Minister for European funds, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility package. Many rumors in Brussels are associating his name with the Commissioner for Simplification post that von der Leyen announced in July before obtaining the European Parliament’s approval for a second mandate.

A Defense-related portfolio was informally pictured around the Polish candidate. The current Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski, gave up on pursuing his career in Brussels. Warsaw is pushing for a plumb job to be assigned to Piotr Serafin, who has been serving as the acting Polish permanent representative to the EU since December 2023. The Commissioner for Defense will deal with a narrow budget at least until the new Multifinancial Framework goes into effect in 2028, which undermines the political relevance of this post.

The Spanish government is vying to carve out a post for climate policies in the next European Commission. La Moncloa is eager to see the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, as green or energy chief in the next term. Her anti-nuclear stance would undoubtedly cause a sudden halt to the debate on nuclear resurgence the EU is currently experiencing at the ministerial level.

The current Commission President, von der Leyen, pledged to maintain the same standard of equity and representation in the next term, citing her first College as the most gender-balanced ever.

To do this, von der Leyen wrote to EU leaders last month requesting they provide two names for her next team: a male and a woman. However, governments have not cooperated: only five of the 22 countries that have disclosed their choice have nominated a woman, and they have yet to formally offer two candidates for the position thus far. Including von der Leyen, who represents Germany, and Kaja Kallas of Estonia, who was chosen to lead EU foreign policy going forward, the number jumps to six.

To see what will happen and who will be the appointed commissioners, we’ll still have to wait then because the hearings are rumored to be held between September 30 and October 4, with a possible vote on the college in the second October Plenary session.