Who will take Thierry Breton’s place as Commissioner for the Internal Market, and especially for Digital Affairs? We knew that Henna Virkkunen, the Finnish candidate, was well placed to land a key position in the field of technology and innovation: it is now official. Ursula von der Leyen has just appointed her as one of the six potential executive vice-presidents of the future European Commission. If her candidacy is approved by the European Parliament, she will be in charge of ” technological sovereignty, security and democracy “, announced the President of the European Commission on Tuesday, September 17, during the presentation of her new team of commissioners.
As our colleagues from Politico On Monday, Henna Virkhunen had serious assets to land a position within the future Commission. Aged 52, the Finnish woman, unknown in France, was an MP then Minister of Education, Minister of Local Authorities and Minister of Transport in her country. She then became an MEP and was starting her third term, after being re-elected this summer.
During the two previous terms of office, she was a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament: the opportunity to develop solid knowledge and experience in the regulation of digital giants which will be more than useful to him, if his candidacy is approved by the European Parliament.
Digital distributed across multiple portfolios?
But the latter should not manage the digital portfolio alone. Unlike Thierry Breton, whose portfolio included the Internal Market (i.e. industry, services, digital, defence and space, as well as tourism and audiovisual), the Finnish woman would be in charge of ” technological sovereignty “, which suggests that other parts of digital technology (AI, semiconductors) could fall within the scope of other commissioners.
Stéphane Séjourné, the resigning Minister of Foreign Affairs and candidate of France who had just been appointed 24 hours earlier, inherits the post of Executive Vice-President for the ” industrial strategy and prosperity “, a field that could include some digital issues (such as semiconductors). Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Bulgarian candidate, could also play a role in this area, since she would be in charge of start-ups, research and innovation.
But it is not all over yet: Henna Virkkunen, Stéphane Séjourné, and Ekaterina Zaharieva, like the 24 other potential commissioners, will have to go through the hearings of the European Parliament before officially becoming European commissioners. According to the nomination procedure, the President of the European Commission proposes a new college of commissioners to the European Parliament. Each candidacy is then examined by the MEPs who adopt a vote of approval, recalled European Parliament President Roberta Metsola after today’s meeting.
In the meantime, it is the Danish Margrethe Vestager who will take over the portfolio of Thierry Breton, the resigning European Commissioner, Ursula von der Leyen specified on Monday, on X.
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