Agreement in the European Parliament for the approval of the 26 Commissioners

The European Parliament approved the 26 Commissioners of the second Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, following the green light given by the leaders of the EPP, Socialist, and Liberal (Renew) political groups.

After the individual approval of the 26 Commissioners, the European Parliament will vote on the approval of the new Commission Body on November 27 in the Plenary in Strasbourg. If the MEPs give the green light, by simple majority as required, the new Commission will take office on December 1.

Following difficult negotiations, the three political groups, which traditionally constitute the “pro-European majority” in the European Parliament (EPP, Socialists, and Liberals), reached a political agreement yesterday, Wednesday, for the approval of the new Commission Body.

Since November 12, when the hearings of the six Vice Presidents of the Commission took place, the European Parliament had announced the postponement of their evaluation and approval for an unknown date. The candidacies of two Vice Presidents, Italian Raffaele Fitto and Spaniard Teresa Ribera, as well as Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, were obstacles.

Specifically, the center-left (Socialists, Liberals, and Greens) opposed the candidacy of Italian Vice President Raffaele Fitto, who takes over the strategic portfolio of Cohesion Policy. R. Fitto comes from the far-right government of G. Meloni, and the center-left refused to assign the Vice President position of the Commission to a representative of the far-right.

Furthermore, the center-left parties opposed the candidacy of Victor Orbán’s ally, Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, for the portfolio of health and animal welfare. Oliver Varhelyi was criticized during his hearing for his reluctance to answer questions regarding women’s access to abortion or LGBT rights.

On the other hand, the European People’s Party (EPP) blocked the approval of Socialist candidate Spanish Vice President Teresa Ribera, who is set to take over the broad portfolio of Green Transition and Competitiveness. The EPP accused T. Ribera – minister of Pedro Sánchez’s government, for the deadly floods that hit her country and waited for Ribera’s testimony before the Spanish parliament, which occurred yesterday, Wednesday, to approve her.

Despite the tense negotiations, the EPP, Socialists, and Liberals finally gave the green light to all candidate Commissioners (including R. Fitto, T. Ribera, and Ol. Varhelyi), after their leaders signed an agreement committing to work constructively and defend European values. (21/11/2024)