The Popular Party will not only vote against the confirmation of Therese Ribera to consider her “sectarian” and a “bad choice” as First Vice-President for Ecological Transition and Commissioner for Competition of the European Commission. But he wants to bring her down at the first attempt, during the review process that the current member of the government of Pedro Sanchez must be adopted in the European Parliament, alleging a “clear conflict of interest”.
The truth is that it is not easy to get a candidate to fall in the confirmation processes that each of the 27 members of the college of commissioners will follow. But already in the first filter, The PP has the complicity of its formation at the European level reject Ribera. In this case, not because of her politics, but because of a “clear power conflict” due to the position occupied by her husband, Mariano Bacigalupo.
The European Parliament officials confirm that “the matter is clear”. Bacigalupo has been director of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) since 2022, and previously – between 2017 and until then – director of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC).
“Ribera should demonstrate that he is capable of working for the 27 member states and not for the interests of Sánchez,” says the head of the PP delegation to the European Parliament.
The same sources recall that the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) of the European Parliament “will examine that there are no cases of incompatibility or conflicts of interest” with the position to which she was appointed.
Why this accusation?
Seen from this angle, with this “huge obstacle” against which other sources in Brussels were already warning, why Ursula von der Leyen gave him, precisely, the Competition portfolio? The explanation is complex: on the one hand, although they only govern four of the 27 member states, the socialists had RIGHT to one of the four main vice-presidencies, being the second group in the European Parliament.
But the People’s Party not only won the 9-J elections, increasing its votes and seats, but it also has 14 governments and, therefore, 14 commissioners. His negotiating power is enormous and with it he has the power to warn against possible vetoes to the commissioners of the audiencesaccording to community jargon.
On the other hand, a month ago it seemed clear that Ribera would be vice-president, but with the energy and environment portfolios grouped under his supervision. Sources close to him acknowledged to this newspaper that this aspiration, with which he had presented himself in the 9-J elections to the European Parliament, was fading. “because of pressure from France”.
The Liberal government Emmanuel Macron He had two good reasons to reject Ribera’s leadership on European energy policy.
The first, your position “openly belligerent” against nuclear weaponson which France’s energy autonomy depends.
And the second, the efforts of the Spanish government, with him at its head, to overcome traditional French resistance to the increase in the electrical interconnections which make the Iberian Peninsula an “energy island”, heavily dependent on imports and unable to compete with the powerful French industry.
In fact, the person who will lead this portfolio, from the next executive vice-presidency of Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, will be the Frenchman. Stephane Sejourneformer leader of Renew in the European Parliament and recently left the Macron government, where he was Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
And also, it is necessary to highlight Meloni’s clever move. It was she who appointed the Commission’s economic vice-president: during the negotiations with Von der Leyen, the Italian Prime Minister put the name of Raffaele Fitto expressly so that he would receive this very powerful portfolio. And the ease with which his appointment was agreed reflects the rapprochement of the former neofascists has positions more comparable to those of popular Europeans.
Fitto will also command the Recovery plan and the implementation of European funds. “And this is yet more bad news for the socialists,” adds one of the sources cited in Brussels.
In this way, President Von der Leyen had the difficult task of giving Ribera a good position and, at the same time, Do not disturb to the other groups that brought her to the presidency, supporting her re-election last July to the European Parliament.
“No competition” competition
Spanish politics will theoretically occupy the number two of the Commission, will be in charge of the portfolio with the greatest power to intervene in global markets, that of Competition, but “He will not be able to do politics”.
Firstly, because this position does not propose legislation, it only implements it – and every decision is always subject to the control of the Court of Justice of the European Union. And secondly, because his position is that of Executive Vice-President because a General Management is suspended (DG), not because he will command the commissioners of his branch.
“Its DG is Competition, and their climate commissioners They are all from the EPP“, concludes one of the sources consulted. “And that is if it passes the filters of the European Parliament.
Despite the fact that an alliance between the European People’s Party (EPP), the liberals (Renew) and the leadership of the ECR group – led by the party of Giorgia MeloniItalian Prime Minister – had already managed to corner her in the difficult negotiations last month, the efforts of those of Alberto Nuñez Feijoo It’s total.
On the one hand, the three Commissioners who hold the portfolios under his vice-presidency (Agriculture, Fisheries and Climate) come from the EPP: Costas Kadis (Cyprus), Christopher Hansen (Luxembourg) and Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands), which will apply the EPP vision to its government programme.
And on the other hand, although Competition is a “very powerful” portfolio, it does not have “legislative powers”. In fact, before the Feijóo group announced its decision, Popular European sources have praised that von der Leyen’s appointment would have “also distanced Ribera from energy policy.”
PP sources in Brussels maintain that “A bad minister cannot be a good commissioner”. And that the popular are not in favor of “exporting the agenda Sanchist to the European Union”.
PSOE voted against Cañete
This Tuesday, at the exit of the Council of Spokespersons, the popular Miguel Tellado gave a press conference in which he said that “if you remember what the PSOE did with Miguel Arias Cañete“10 years ago, “we won’t do the same.”
The PP has been criticizing this for a decade. veto promoted by the PSOE in 2014, already with Pedro Sánchez at the headto try to prevent the former PP minister from passing the European Parliament exam as Commissioner for Energy and Climate Change. A few minutes later, PP sources corrected the announcement of their parliamentary spokesperson, who was poorly informed about Genoa’s final position.
In the case of Cañete, the vote against was justified by some allegedly sexist statements of the candidate. Not because of any possible incompatibilities with the position or, directly, because of their political positions.
Because if the PSOE candidate were not vetoed by the JURI for “collusion” with her partner’s position, she would move on to the hearing phase. Those audiences –in community jargon – are appearances during which, for about three hours, the candidate commissioners must answer questions the chairmen and members of the corresponding parliamentary committee.
Since her actual portfolio is that of Competition, Ribera can be referred to court. Internal Market Committee (IMCO)… or, again, before JURI. The most popular candidates will fuel doubts about their suitability, which, combined with the complexity of their position, can make the second examination more difficult and longer.
The assessment at this stage should be limited to skill for the position, the European commitment of the candidate and his personal independence…even when it comes to your national government.
“And that’s where Ribera made a mistake by going to the elections announcing that he would not retrieve the minutes,” says a senior European Parliament official. “Brussels also doesn’t like the fact that she remained third vice-president in Spain, nor that she went to the offices of the group presidents, as a member of a government,” instead of lobbying like everyone else“, adds an EPP leader.
To be approved by the committee, Ribera will have to obtain the support of, at least two thirds of its members. That’s to say, 17 votes for the 25 members holders of JURI, in which the popular ones have seven members: with two convincing members (among the liberals or the three groups of the radical right), Ribera would fall.
At the IMCO, the EPP has 13 members out of 47. That would be enough for you. seduce to three other vowels.
In this case, the Spanish politician would have to undergo an additional audit and then another vote to assess her suitability as a candidate. And there would still be a third and final option to bring down Ribera: if the PP persists in not accepting her, could promote a general veto in the Commission in plenary session of the European Parliament.
“Vice-president Sanchez is a hostage to her career and her policy at the head of the ministry,” warns the Spanish PP. “As commissioner, I should decide what path I want for Europe, whether it is Sanchez’s agenda or Von der Leyen’s program“.
