New European Commission’s College: competences and roles for next five years (Part I)

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In the President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal for the new College’s political guidance this September, some new priorities have been formulated with specific tasks assigned to the future “EU-ministers” for the next 5 years. The first article deals with the College’s leadership (i.e. Commission’s executive vice presidents), the second, will “cover portfolios” of the rest twenty new Commissioners. 

Background and priorities
The European Parliament has approved the new College of Commissioners that will take office –officially- on 1 December; as soon as it’s Sunday, the work starts the next day.
Previous five College’s years were dominated by two military conflicts: one on Europe’s doorstep and another in the Middle East. Besides, there were such challenges as an ongoing energy crisis and a massive response to a global pandemic, attempts to deliver on climate promises, tackling advances of artificial intelligence and secure European competitiveness and defense.
The European Commission’s leadership is often regarded popularly as the EU-wide “sectoral ministers” headed by a European PM, Ursula von der Leyen with six executive vice-presidents and 20 “sectoral” Commissioners. E.g. new priorities include: major initiative in the “Competitiveness Compass”, which is built on the three pillars (mentioned in M. Draghi’s report): a) closing the innovation gap with the US and China; b) joint plan for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and c) increasing security and reducing dependencies, as the President explained.
Commission President also outlined seven initiatives during the first months of the new College, including a Clean Industrial Deal, a White Paper on European Defence, an AI Factories initiative, a Cybersecurity Action Plan for Health Infrastructure, a vision for Agriculture and Food, the enlargement policy reviews, and the Youth Policy Dialogues to be as priorities in the work of each Commissioner.
EU-wide political guidelines have been formulated already in June 2024; see: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf ; as well as in: https://commission.europa.eu/towards-new-european-commission-2024-2029_en

Commission President also highlighted importance of cooperation among the EU institutions, as “over the next five years, European unity will be absolutely critical”, particularly among the Commission, the Parliament and the Council.
More in the Commission’s website at:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ac_24_6108
And on: https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/towards-new-commission-2024-2029/commissioners-designate-2024-2029_en

     Note. We have already informed our readers on perspective candidates. See more in our several recent publications: = https://www.integrin.dk/2024/10/06/shaping-future-commission-the-candidates-are-being-reviewed-in-november/; = https://www.integrin.dk/2024/09/17/new-commissions-college-is-aimed-at-increasing-regional-competitiveness/; = https://www.integrin.dk/2024/09/03/new-commissions-college-team-the-eu-wide-sectoral-ministers/, etc.
Recent Politico publication covered the “insider’s” view on some Commissioners’ “portraits”; the readers can compare it with the official Commission priorities for the next 5 years. However, the readers are to be aware that most of the names mentioned are from the “old College”.
Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyens-first-commission-eu-valdis-dombrovskis-margrethe-vestager/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=alert&utm_campaign=Ursula%20von%20der%20Leyen%E2%80%99s%20first%20Commission%3A%20The%20final%20verdict

Commission’s College leadership is concentrated in the hands of Ursula von der Leyen, the president. By heading the EU’s executive institution, she has already become one of its most powerful leaders in recent European history during her first term. She managed to tackle the pandemic, the recent fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine, coped with the energy crisis; she tightened the EU-wide decision-making process and elevated her own public image in the eyes of the member states and the Brussels’ bureaucracy. For her second term, as the war in Ukraine continues with no end in sight, she will steer the EU-27 through complicated periods connected to the new D. Trump Administration, while ensuring a more competitive relation between the EU and US, as well as with China, and delivering on sustainability and global climate targets.

Commissions’ Executive Vice-Presidents, EVPs:
= Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, EVP responsible for clean, just and competitive transition. The “competition portfolio” will include circular economy and decarbonization, which “drive” the European Green Deal, designed as a focal point in EU growth strategy and a central part of the new industrial policy. New approach to competition policy also include (together with actions in prosperity and industrial strategy, as well as that of climate, net zero and clean growth) the Clean Industrial Deal aimed at unlocking investment, create lead markets for clean tech and put in place conditions for companies to grow and compete. She will also guide the process of ensuring that taxation measures would support just transition and decarbonisation.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/5b1aaee5-681f-470b-9fd5-aee14e106196_en

= Henna Virkkunen, EVP for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. As soon as security is fundamental for people’s safety, general peace and trust in the EU’s economies, societies and democracies, the EVP’s function is dealing with increasingly complex security threats: the issues range from the war in Europe to hybrid and cyber threats, attacks on critical infrastructure, foreign information manipulation and interference. She will also ensure that existing rules focus on reducing administrative burdens and simplifying legislation by e.g. contributing to reducing corporate reporting obligations by at least 25% generally and by 35% for SMEs; with leveraging the power of digital tools to deliver better and faster solutions. She will lead work on boosting artificial intelligence innovation, making it safer and more trustworthy; to ensure access to tailored supercomputing capacity for AI start-ups and industry through the AI Factories initiative, develop in the states an Apply AI Strategy to boost new industrial uses of AI and improve delivery of public services.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/3b537594-9264-4249-a912-5b102b7b49a3_en

= Stéphane Séjourné, EVP for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy (he was a former French minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs). In The Commission President “mission letter” it was underlined the need for “starting a new era of productivity, innovation and competitiveness”. The work would start with speeding up and simplifying the Single Market to allow business and innovation to thrive by tackling fragmentation and remaining barriers and ensuring that rules are easy to implement and report on. Among the main priorities are: Clean Industrial Deal, Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act, European Competitiveness Fund, considering the need for a Single Market Barriers Prevention Act, setting up a dedicated EU’s Critical Raw Materials Platform, Circular Economy Act, etc.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/6ef52679-19b9-4a8d-b7b2-cb99eb384eca_en

= Kaja Kallas, Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In the recent mission letter (17.11. 2024), she was assigned with the tasks of tackling European and global instability “in an era of geostrategic rivalries”. Hence, the EU foreign and security policy must be designed with these realities: i.e. Europe needs to be more strategic, more assertive and more united in pursuing its strategic interests and in shaping the global system. So, is supposed “to strengthen Europe’s capacity to act, deepen mutually beneficial partnerships and promote values and interests around the world”. Her tasks are to ensure that the EU reacts flexibly to new threats, including cyber and hybrid attacks; to facilitate “new horizontal set of restrictive measures” against hybrid threats coped with additional efforts to strengthen strategic approach to EU sanctions, including more effective enforcement and addressing the issue of circumvention.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/1fd85a66-b89a-492b-8855-89499106c1d4_en

= Roxana Mînzatu, EVP for People, Skills and Preparedness. She will guide the College work on strengthening Europe’s human capital, from skills and education to building up knowledge and experiences throughout human live-span, whether through studying abroad or making the most of culture and sport: i.e. in short – supporting people, strengthening societies and the EU-wide social model. She will also focus on training, education and the impact (and the opportunities) of technology and innovation in the world of work. She will also guide the work embed a “new culture of preparedness” that can help people adapt to change and to risks that exist in societies, for instance through health or security crises or other emerging threats that may affect national economy and security. It is vital to ensure that this task is linked to the work on future-oriented policy making and on strategic foresight.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/27ac73de-6b5c-430d-8504-a76b634d5f2d_en

= Raffaele Fitto, EVP for Cohesion and Reforms; additionally his portfolio includes EU-wide cohesion policy, regional development and cities’ development. As soon as the European cohesion is about strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion among the EU states, his task is to support quality jobs, driving up productivity, innovation, competitiveness and delivering the EU-wide goals linked to the twin green and digital transitions, including those in the European Green Deal. He should assist in designing a “strengthened, modernized cohesion and growth policies, working in partnership with national, regional and local authorities. As part of the next EU long-term budget, cohesion policy should be aligned with wider EU priorities, be more focused, simpler and more impactful, and help mobilise reforms and investments.
More in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/1bf50cbe-45a4-4dc5-9922-52c6c2d3959f_en

Official list of Commissioners in: https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/towards-new-commission-2024-2029/commissioners-designate-2024-2029_en

 

 

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