European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is considering appointing Spain’s Commissioner-designate Teresa Ribera to the Competition portfolio, one of the most powerful in the EU, instead of Climate and Environment.
As reported by the Financial TimeThe current third vice-president and Minister of Ecological Transition could end up in a different position than the one initially planned. When the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, appointed Ribera as Spanish Commissioner, it was hoped that she would keep a portfolio similar to the one she currently holds in the National Executive, even if At first, the responsibilities of this new climate commission were unclear..
The bottom line is that the European People’s Party, to which Von der Leyen belongs, would like to keep this department under its control. In part, for to be able to pressure Conservative MPs to approve climate change measuresafter the agrarian protests that have taken place in European countries such as the Netherlands. A commissioner from the same PP would have more cards to convince his people of the need to take more severe measures than a socialist commissioner, says the argument that is circulating these days in Brussels.
Von der Leyen’s announcement was expected on September 11. However, her spokesperson said on Friday that the process was ongoing, so he could not say precisely when it would end. This lack of certainty about the outcome of the process comes at a time when Member States put pressure on the Commission so that the organization led by the German applies a balanced representation in terms of gender and geography in its new team.
However, this is only the beginning. The list of proposed commissioners must go through the European Parliament, where their suitability will be debated and a vote will take place for or against them. In this sense, EU members stress that The agreement is still far away due to political differences: The Greens group, whose votes secured Von der Leyen’s second term, could block Ribera’s election if it considers that The change of position of the current Minister of Ecological Transition is an attempt to stop the European Green Deal.
The position of Competition Commissioner would in no way be a “punishment” for Ribera. The portfolio is one of the most powerful in the entire EU, one of the world’s major regulatory powers.During the European campaign, the Socialists proposed increasing industrial subsidies to European companies, relaxing rules against state aid so that they could grow faster and compete with their Chinese or American rivals.
Outgoing Commissioner Magrethe Vestager, a liberal, used her portfolio to tighten controls on big tech companies and block mergers between large European firms that sought to create oligopolies in their sectors.
