The tense hearing in the European Parliament of the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, to take the post of Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition and Head of the Competition Portfolio of the European Commission, still resonates. Dana’s management punctuates the socialist’s aspirations to occupy a position in the community executive. The Popular Party sets its conditions and asks the third vice-president of the Government to undertake to resign if she is indicted. Despite the delay that such a negotiation may cause, the The European Commission still hopes it can start on December 1 the next College of Commissioners.
Referring to the statements made by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Eric Mamer, clarified that the vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament is scheduled for November 27. “Therefore, we hope that the new college of commissioners be operational on December 1st.” Deadlines which require that the vote of the coordinators of the European Parliament, which has been postponed, be carried out before this date. All this at a time when the PP is proposing conditions to sit at this voting table. A negotiation that could delay all deadlines.
“In Valencia, 15 days later, there are still families without electricity, without means of transport, unidentified corpses and unfound bodies, and will the competent minister be rewarded?” asked Wednesday popular MEP Esteban González Pons in the European Parliament. . Following a similar political logic, the formation led by Manfred Weber no longer subordinated the support of his party, but participation in the vote itself under two conditions.
On the one hand, the PP wants Ribera agrees to resign if she is accused of her handling of Dana. On the other hand, that she presents herself to the Congress of Deputies to give explanations on the Government’s actions, as Minister of Ecological Transition. These are the guidelines of the conservative formation to sit down and evaluate Ribera’s candidacy, therefore, it does not guarantee the support of the popular party, party sources point out.
Furthermore, throughout this process it is worth considering that the PP delayed this week the vote on Ribera’s candidacy. If the evaluation before the European Parliament took place on Tuesday evening, the vote by the coordinators of the European Parliament committees was scheduled for the same evening. However, the popular parties agreed with the social democrats and liberals to delay the decision, which ultimately It will be linked to that of the five remaining future community vice-presidents.
Even without a date to determine when such a decision will take place, probably next week, the president of the European Commission, the popular Ursula von der Leyen, this week reiterated her support and confidence in Ribera. “The president gave their confidence in the group of candidates for the post of commissioners and the confirmation process is in progress. “Obviously, nothing has changed from this initial position,” European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer said on Wednesday.
Time is running out in an uncertain geopolitical context. Donald Trump’s victory in the United States and open conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are forcing the EU to hurry. “The new European Commission has a lot of work to do” Mamer said, adding that the situation requires the new community executive to “respond as quickly as possible.”
