While the war in Ukraine continues on the borders of the Union, the Americans have elected Donald Trump and the European economy is in full swing, the community institutions have been operating at a slow pace for six months. After the European elections on June 9, the Commission was to be in working order on June 1is December. But the appointments of commissioners are divisive within the European Parliament, the far right is in ambush, the German electoral campaign is also entering the debate and it is now possible that we will have to wait a little longer.
A first step was taken in July when MEPs confirmed the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as president of the community executive. This designation made it possible to validate the parliamentary majority on which the German can in theory rely. Namely the Christian Democrats of the European People’s Party (EPP), the first political group in the European Parliament, the Social Democrats (S&D), who came in second place after the June election, and the liberals of Renew, who are in fifth place. rank.
From now on, these political allies must invest in each of the commissioners who will surround Ursula von der Leyen, before voting on the entire college. Last week, the European Parliament confirmed 19 of them. But for the remaining seven, the three groups of the “von der Leyen majority” cannot agree and their presidents – Manfred Weber (PPE), Iratxe Garcia Perez (S&D) and Valérie Hayer (Renew) – do not were only able to note the blockage, during a meeting with the President of the Commission, Wednesday November 13.
“Taken hostage”
If, in the coming days, the protagonists of this crisis do not find an agreement, the vote in Strasbourg on the entire college will not be able to take place on November 27, as planned, and the entry into office of the Commission will be deferred. “There’s still time. This is our responsibility and we take it very seriously. Especially when we see what is happening in the world”, wants to believe Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament.
Of the seven commissioners awaiting their investiture, including six executive vice-presidents, three pose problems – the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, appointed for health and animal welfare, the Spaniard Teresa Ribera (for ecological transition and competition) and the Italian Raffaele Fitto (for cohesion). But the fate of others, including that of Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné (industrial strategy), will not be resolved until theirs has been the subject of a compromise.
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