LETTER FROM BRUSSELS
The countdown is already underway. Since Tuesday 17 September, the 26 European Commissioners of the new college of the European executive chaired by Ursula von der Leyen have been informed of their respective portfolios. They now have not a minute to lose in preparing their parliamentary hearings.
The commissioners-designate must begin to form their cabinet, in particular by diversifying their geographical and gender profiles (teams must include at least five different nationalities), but above all they must prepare for their move to the European Parliament, which is currently taking a while to arrive. The exact dates of these appointments have not yet been decided. Auditions could take place between mid-October and mid-November. They therefore have just under a month to take charge of the files and refine their arguments.
However, the 26 commissioners-designate are not all in the same boat. While Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné or Slovenian Marta Kos were chosen at the last minute, Kaja Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister who will be vice-president of the college as head of European diplomacy, was appointed by the member states as of 27 June.
He had two more months to prepare to succeed the Spaniard Josep Borrell. Moreover, as a courtesy, the latter travelled to Tallinn for two days, during the month of July, to discuss with his successor all the pitfalls of this difficult-to-master role of High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission (HR/VP). Kaja Kallas also met with Federica Mogherini, the Spaniard’s predecessor.
“She gets straight to the point”
Since mid-August, the 47-year-old former lawyer has moved to Brussels and increased her meetings. “It is very simple, whether in Brussels or Strasbourg, we find it in all the corridors of Parliament”confides Nathalie Loiseau, Renew MEP. “The priority is to make contacts, the interviews will come after confirmation”Those close to Kaja Kallas explain why, apart from a few posts on social network X, she avoids exposing herself in the media.
In Parliament, he met with the President of the institution, Roberta Metsola, with all political groups and had numerous face-to-face meetings with MEPs. “She is very well prepared”Nathalie Loiseau confirms. She leaves nothing to chance and discusses all her immediate points of interest. Before each meeting, she reviews her carefully prepared reports.
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