It was expected that the EU’s next commission this time would be approved without any heads rolling. But not then.
For now, a drama about the commissioners is in full bloom, primarily between the traditionally largest party groups in the EU Parliament, the right-liberal European People’s Party (EPP) and the social democratic S & D.
In the worst case scenario, the dispute could lead to the plan to get the commission approved next week, so that it can start work on 1 December, being overturned. A new commission will not be in place until the new year.
It will give the commissioners, to say the least, poor time to prepare for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Drama in the making
It must have all started with the parliament’s largest party group, the right-liberal EPP, not wanting to approve the Spanish Teresa Ribera, who belongs to the social democratic S & D, as vice-president and new climate and competition commissioner – and commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s right-hand man.
The EPP is said to have been pressured by Spain’s Partido Popular, which is a member of the group, not to say yes to Ribera because of her role as climate minister in Spain in the run-up to the flooding disaster in Valencia – something she also received a lot of pepper for when she was grilled in the EU Parliament’s inquiry.
The EPP’s demand is now that Ribera must agree to resign from the commissioner’s post if charges are brought against her in Spain.
It is a trap that means that Ribera will live at the mercy of the Spanish judiciary, writes Politico.
You take mine, I’ll take yours
S & D responds by demanding that Italy’s commissioner candidate Raffaele Fitto, who belongs to the dark blue party group ECR, be stripped of the role – and the brilliance – of vice-president.
Nor do they want Hungary’s Oliver Varhelyi, who belongs to the Patriots for Europe group on the far right wing.
The EPP supports both of these candidates, possibly to keep the door open for future cooperation with the party groups further to the right.
– High stakes
S & D now accuse EPP leader Manfred Weber of playing a high game and abandoning the agreement to keep the EU-critical far-right parties at arm’s length.
– The EPP is willing to risk the EU’s stability, says one press release between group parties.
The dispute has already become so inflamed that von der Leyen summoned the leaders of the party groups, the EPP’s powerful Weber, the S & D’s Iratxe García and the liberal Renews’ Valérie Hayer, to a crisis meeting in his office on Wednesday evening.
Broadside from Meloni
The three party groups have – together with The Greens and The Left – a majority in parliament and are considered a “wall” against influence from the far right wing in parliament.
Now Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni from the far-right party Italy’s Brothers has also thrown herself into the fight.
– How can it be that Italy, one of the EU’s largest countries, does not deserve to be given a powerful vice-presidential position in the new commission? asks Meloni, who plays an increasingly important role in the EU.
She also directs a broadside at the Social Democrats:
– Here you have your left-wing politicians. According to them, Italy does not deserve a vice-president in the commission, she signs X.
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