The People’s Party will vote against Therese Riberaas First Vice-President for Ecological Transition and Competition Commissioner in Brussels. This was confirmed by sources from the Brussels-based Alberto Nuñez Feijoo. According to his spokesman in Congress, Miguel Telladothe current third vice-president of Pedro Sanchez It is a “bad choice”.
The popular even warned that they would make Ribera’s confirmation as difficult as the PSOE did ten years ago with the candidate of the time. Miguel Arias Cañeteof the PP. The conservative party claims that it is not “in favour of exporting sanchismo” outside Spain, because “A bad minister for Spain cannot be a good commissioner”.
Cañete had held the agriculture portfolio in the government of Mariano Rajoyand later, head of the PP list for the 2019 European elections THE PSOE, already led by. Sanchez, broke the traditional pact of the two main EU parties, voting against the Commission President, the Luxembourger Jean-Claude Junckerand the candidacy of the former PP minister.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenannounced on Tuesday the distribution of the 27 portfolios of his college of commissioners. And he asked for support for his appointees, even if the popular Spaniards (who belong to the same European political party as Von der Leyen) They will try to veto the Spanish candidate.
The President of the Commission announced the composition of her Community Executive at the seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France). The list of members and their responsibilities underline that the three portfolios that, theoretically, I would oversee The Spanish socialist vice-president is occupied by politicians from the European People’s Party (PPE).
This is so, among other reasons, because There are 14 people’s commissars, of which only four are socialists.The reason for this imbalance is that it is the governments of each member state that nominate their candidate and, at present, only four countries are led by leaders of the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
All commissioners must pass through three review filtersone by one, from the European Parliament. And later, if everyone approves or after the changes resulting from a veto are implemented, a vote will take place in plenary in plenary session. So the College of Commissioners does not have a specific date to start working, and The process could last until November.
At a press conference after the Council of Spokespersons, Tellado answered the question of whether the PP would support Teresa Ribera’s candidacy in Brussels. At that time, the PP spokesman had indicated that his party “will not do” what the PSOE did with Cañete in 2014.Do you remember what the PSOE did with Cañete? Well, we’re not going to do that,” Tellado added.
However, immediately afterwards he said that the PP “No member of the Sánchez government” seems “acceptable” assume a portfolio of this type and that of Ribera, of course, less.” The apparent contradiction was clarified a few minutes later, when official sources of the PP cleared up the confusion. In reality, the popular MEPs will vote against Ribera.
“Sectarian desire”
Tellado stressed that “fortunately, despite the grandiloquent title of the portfolio that was assigned to him at the request of Sánchez“, the third vice-president, still Spanish, “will have a very limited sectarian zeal because she will be a commissioner without legislative competence.”
For the PP, that the Spanish socialist can take charge a position without legislative initiative “is of course a relief”. And it is a fact that “the most sensitive issues to which he could aspire would not be in his hands”, if the PP does not finally achieve its objective of overthrowing him.
Agriculture, environment, fisheries and immigration are entrusted, in principle, to the politicians of the European People’s Party, “as the PP requested and promised during the electoral campaign”, stressed the popular spokesman. And the vice-presidency does not imply control of the portfolios of the region, explain European sources, but rather “a simple coordination”.
Regarding his work as Commissioner for Competition, the same sources explain that this is the only portfolio without legislative capacity. “It is the political body for intervention in the markets that has the greatest power in the world,” admit these European sources from the PP, “but Ribera will not engage in politics and whatever the sentences will be subject to the criteria of the Court of Justice of the EU“.
