| Von der Leyen Commission I | |
|---|---|
 7th Commission of theEuropean Union | |
 The College of Commissioners in 2021 | |
| Date formed | 1 December 2019 |
| Date dissolved | 30 November 2024 |
| People and organisations | |
| President of the Commission | Ursula von der Leyen (EPP,GER) |
| Vice-President(s) of the Commission | |
| No. of commissioners | 27 |
| Member parties |
|
| Status in legislature | |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2019 European Parliament election |
| Legislature term(s) | Ninth |
| Budget(s) | €165.8 billion (2019) |
| Predecessor | Juncker Commission |
| Successor | von der Leyen Commission II |
Thefirstvon der Leyen Commission was theEuropean Commission in office from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2024. It consisted of one commissioner from each of themember states of the European Union – includingUrsula von der Leyen, itspresident, who is fromGermany.
The commission was scheduled to take office on 1 November 2019; however, the French, Hungarian and Romanian commissioner-candidates lost their confirmation votes by theEuropean Parliament in early October 2019,[1] so new commissioners had to be selected from those three member states by the President-elect and subsequently confirmed by the Parliament. This process took place in November 2019 and the Commission eventually took office in its entirety on 1 December 2019.[2]
Following the example of the2014 European Election, in advance of the 2019 elections the main European political parties named so-calledspitzenkandidaten, or leading candidates, who were the parties' candidates to become the next president of the European Commission. All of the parties named at least one candidate; some named two, while theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE), which officially opposed the system ofspitzenkandidaten, introduced "Team Europe," which consisted of several high-ranking European politicians. However, other parties perceived those candidates, especiallyMargrethe Vestager of Denmark, as leading candidates.
After winning2019 European election, the European People's Party claimed that the position of the President of the European Commission should be given to them and wanted their leading candidateManfred Weber for the job. However, Weber faced strong opposition from the liberal-leaning French PresidentEmmanuel Macron and the ALDE, and from theParty of European Socialists (PES) as well; opposition was driven by Weber's lack of experience, since he had only previously served as MEP and never held any governmental position.[3] The PES strongly supported the candidature ofFrans Timmermans, who also had support from most of the ALDE members of the European Council. (Andrej Babiš, then Czech Prime Minister, is a member of the ALDE but also of theVisegrad Four, which strongly opposed Timmermans because of his support for migration quotas and inability to reach compromises.[4]) The ALDE Party wanted to seeMargrethe Vestager taking the top Commission job.
The first European Council meeting was held on 20 and 21 June 2019, bringing no decision on distribution of EU top jobs. PresidentDonald Tusk summoned leaders again for a special meeting that lasted from 30 June until 2 July 2019. Over three days of negotiations, the EPP gave up on Weber becoming the President of the commission; it seemed that Timmermans might be nominated, especially after he met with Bulgarian Prime Minister and EPP memberBoyko Borisov at the Bulgarian Embassy in Belgium during the meeting of the European Council. Naming Timmermans President of the European Commission would have been a part of the so-calledOsaka deal, a plan that was formed by several EU leaders (Emmanuel Macron,Angela Merkel,Giuseppe Conte,Donald Tusk,Mark Rutte, andPedro Sánchez) during the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.
However, the opposition from Visegrad Four, now joined by Croatia and Italy, was still strong, and Timmermans could not win a Council majority. Other names mentioned during the negotiations includedMichel Barnier,Kristalina Georgieva andAndrej Plenković; it became clear after the Council ended that Plenković's name had been introduced by Commission Secretary-GeneralMartin Selmayr, who is Plenković's close friend. The candidature was rejected by Macron, who opposed the personal ambitions of leaders.[5]
WhenUrsula von der Leyen (EPP)'s name emerged as a potential candidate, it was a surprise and she faced many critics, mainly because she had not been aspitzenkandidat. The German Social Democratic Party, part of the German government coalition, opposed von der Leyen due to her work as minister of defence, which resulted in the German ChancellorAngela Merkel's abstention during the council's vote on the proposal. Nevertheless, all other European Council members voted in favor, and she was nominated as the next President of the European Commission.Von der Leyen, a member of theEuropean People's Party (EPP), was selected and proposed to theEuropean Parliament by theEuropean Council on 3 July 2019 following three days of negotiations between leaders of the member states. Von der Leyen faced many critics, especially among MEPs, since the European Council ignored the so-calledspitzenkandidat system when choosing her for the position.
On 16 July 2019, theEuropean Parliament took a vote on the proposal by the European Council and elected Von der Leyen with 383 votes (374 votes needed). Before the vote, Von der Leyen had received the support of three largest political groups in the Parliament (EPP, S&D and RE); during the debate the conservative Polish partyLaw and Justice with 24 MEPs and the ItalianFive Stars Movement (M5S) with 14 MEPs declared their support. Based on the result of the vote, nearly 100 MEPs of the unofficial grand coalition EPP-S&D-RE did not vote for Von der Leyen. Based on the debate and public announcements of the MEPs, most of the MEPs voting against von der Leyen probably came from the S&D group, including the GermanSocial Democratic Party, which publicly opposed Von der Leyen because of her work as German Defence Minister.[6]
| Required majority 374 out of 747  Y | Public voting indication (individual votes unknown, as the ballot was secret) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUE/NGL | S&D | G/EFA | RE | EPP | ECR | ID | NI | ||
| Yes 383 / 747 | 73 or more | 108 or less | 182 or less | 26 or more | 14 or more | ||||
| No 327 / 747 | 41 or less | 42 or more | 74 or less | 9 or more | 5 or more | 42 or more | 29 or more | ||
| Abstentions 23 / 747 | |||||||||
| Absentees 14 / 747 | |||||||||
| Total : 747 | 41 | 153 | 74 | 108 | 182 | 62 | 73 | 54 | |
Le Grand Continent published a detailed analysis of the secret ballot.[7] The authors numbered the public pledges of national delegations and individual MEPs as amounting to 410, which is 27 more than what von der Leyen ultimately received. To explain the difference, they suggested three scenarios: one in which the support of delegations from the S&D group (some for, some against, some equivocal) was lower than admitted, another in which MEPs from the populist parties in government (Poland's PiS, Hungary's Fidesz and Italy's M5S) were claiming support only to gain leverage, and a half-way scenario which they see as the likeliest. In two of these three scenarios, the S&D group, which for decades was the pillar of theGrand coalition in Europe, no longer has a majority of MEPs supporting the Commission.
Even before Von der Leyen's confirmation, she pledged to renominateFrans Timmermans, thespitzenkandidat of theParty of European Socialists as the First Vice President.Margrethe Vestager, one of the leading candidates of theAlliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE), was chosen as vice president as well, havingde facto equal position to that of Timmermans.
Von der Leyen requested that member states each propose two candidates, a man and a woman, so it would be easier to form a gender-balanced commission. France'sThierry Breton was the last candidate to be designated on 24 October 2019 byEmmanuel Macron.
Following her election, President of the European CouncilDonald Tusk asked von der Leyen to give her consent on appointingJosep Borrell of Spain as the next EU High Representative. Consent was given on 26 July 2019, following which the European Council officially appointed Borrell as the nextHigh Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 5 August 2019.[21][22][23]
The commission was approved by the European Parliament on 27 November 2019, receiving 461 votes, with 157 against and 89 abstentions. EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and half of the ECR voted in favour. The Greens/EFA abstained.[24]
| Commission | Votes cast | Majority | In favour | Against | Abstain | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Von der Leyen Commission | 707 | 374[citation needed] | 461 | 157 | 89 | [25] |
The responsible committee held a 3-hour hearing of the Commissioner-designate to examine the candidate's competence and suitability. Committee decided if candidate is suitable to become a European Commissioner and if their knowledge of the portfolio is sufficient. After each hearing, the committee voted on the candidate. Decisions of the committee were first taken by the coordinators of the EP political groups, at this point each candidate needed support of 2/3 of coordinators, if support was reached, the candidate was confirmed. If such support was not reached, then committee as a whole took a vote on a Commissioner-designate, where a candidate needed the support of the majority of committee members. If candidate was rejected by the committee as well, President-elect could propose a new candidate, in which case a new hearing would take place for a new candidate. Coordinators could also decide to hold additional hearing of 1.5 hours or demand additional written answers. If there were more committees hearing one candidate, all committees would give a joint evaluation.[citation needed]
The first round of hearings took place from 30 September until 8 October 2019, followed by the evaluation by the BCPR (Conference of Presidents) on 15 October 2019. If any of the candidates would be rejected by the responsible committee, new hearings would take place on 14 and 15 October 2019, followed by BCPR evaluation on 16 October 2019. BCPR closed hearings process on 17 October 2019.[citation needed] Before the hearings begin, Committee on Legal Affairs, on 19 September 2019, examined if there was a possibility of a conflict of interests for any of the candidates for commissioners.[citation needed]
The United Kingdom, which had been expected to leave the EU on 31 October 2019, did not nominate a candidate for commissioner.[26]
It was reported by Euractiv on 26 September 2019 that commissioners-designateLászló Trócsányi of Hungary (Neighbourhood and Enlargement) andRovana Plumb of Romania (Transport) will be questioned by the European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee about their declarations of interests due to potential conflict of interests and "discrepancies in property statements". Other commissioners-designate were approved by the committee, includingDidier Reynders of Belgium (Justice) andSylvie Goulard of France (Internal Market) who are under investigation by respective national authorities due to corruption allegations or misuse of EU money, according to one of the MEPs because the Committee does not have the authority to question candidates beyond facts stated in the declarations od interests. Euractiv also reports thatJanusz Wojciechowski of Poland (Agriculture) might as well be questioned by the committee.[27] Euractiv reported later that day thatRovana Plumb of Romania was rejected as a European Commissioner-designate by 10 votes to 6 (with 2 abstentions). Hungarian Commissioner-designateLászló Trócsányi was rejected on 26 September as well by 11 votes to 9 due to his personal finances in connection with his law firm, he founded before becoming Minister of Justice and due to concerns about "connections to Russia" in relation to extradition of Russian suspects to Russia.[28] It is up to the President-electUrsula von der Leyen to take further decisions on candidates, while JURI approval is a necessary precondition for hearings to take place. This was the first time that candidates have been rejected by the JURI Committee.[citation needed]
Following the JURI Committee decision to rejectLászló Trócsányi, he published a statement on his Twitter account later that day, stating that he will take all legal steps against the decision.[29] This could have an impact on the process of formation of the new European Commission which is due to take office on 1 November 2019.[citation needed]
The Legal Affairs Committee was asked to decide on both rejected candidates again and on 30 September 2019 JURI again rejected both of the candidates,Plumb with 13 votes to 7 andTrócsányi with 12 votes to 9.[30] Following the vote, President-elect Von der Leyen asked the national governments of Romania and Hungary to propose new candidates. Hungary already proposed a new candidateOlivér Várhelyi, its Permanent Representative to the EU.[31]
According to several media reports hearings before the European Parliament committees could be tough for:[32][33]
| Date | 9:00-12:00 | 14:30-17:30 | 18:30-21:30 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2019 | Maroš Šefčovič of  SlovakiaVice-President-designate for Inter-Institutional Relations and Foresight | Phil Hogan of  IrelandEuropean Commissioner-designate for Trade | |||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
| Mariya Gabriel of  BulgariaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Innivation and Youth | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 October 2019 | Nicolas Schmit of  LuxembourgEuropean Commissioner-designate for Jobs | Janusz Wojciechowski[40] of  PolandEuropean Commissioner-designate for Agriculture HEARING NO. 1 | László Trócsányi[41] of  HungaryEuropean Commissioner-designate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement NO HEARING HELD | ||||||||||||||||
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| |||||||||||||||||
| Jutta Urpilainen of  FinlandEuropean Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships | Ylva Johansson of  SwedenEuropean Commissioner-designate for Home Affairs | Stella Kyriakidou of  CyprusEuropean Commissioner-designate for Health | |||||||||||||||||
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| 2 October 2019 | Didier Reynders of  BelgiumEuropean Commissioner-designate for Justice | Helena Dalli of  MaltaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Equality | Elisa Ferreira of  PortugalEuropean Commissioner-designate for Cohesion and Reforms | ||||||||||||||||
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| Rovana Plumb[42] of  RomaniaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Transport NO HEARING HELD | Sylvie Goulard of  FranceEuropean Commissioner-designate for Internal Market HEARING NO. 1 | Janez Lenarčič of  SloveniaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Crisis Management | |||||||||||||||||
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| 3 October 2019 | Paolo Gentiloni of  ItalyEuropean Commissioner-designate for Economy | Virginijus Sinkevičius of  LithuaniaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans | Margaritis Schinas of  GreeceVice-President-designate for Protecting our European Way of Life | ||||||||||||||||
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| Kadri Simson of  EstoniaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Energy | Johannes Hahn of  AustriaEuropean Commissioner-designate for Budget and Administration | Dubravka Šuica of  CroatiaVice-President-designate for Democracy and Demography | |||||||||||||||||
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| 7 October 2019 | Věra Jourová of the  Czech RepublicVice-President-designate for Values and Transparency | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Josep Borrell of  SpainVice-President-designate for A Stronger Europe in the World and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 October 2019 | Valdis Dombrovskis of  LatviaExecutive Vice-President-designate for Economy that Works for People and European Commissioner-designate for Financial Markets | Margrethe Vestager of  DenmarkExecutive Vice-President-designate for Europe Fit for Digital Age and European Commissioner-designate for Competition | Frans Timmermans of the  NetherlandsExecutive Vice-President-designate for theEuropean Green Deal and European Commissioner-designate for Climate Action | ||||||||||||||||
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| Janusz Wojciechowski[40] of PolandEuropean Commissioner-designate for Agriculture HEARING NO. 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 10 October 2019 | Sylvie Goulard of FranceEuropean Commissioner-designate for Internal Market HEARING NO. 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[43] Confirmed candidate Candidate with additional hearing Rejected candidate Responsible Committee Associated Committee | |||||||||||||||||||
Coordinators of political groups in the responsible committees decided that additional written answers will be requested by and potentially additional hearing of 1.5 hours should be held for:
Janusz Wojciechowski of Poland, European Commissioner-designate for Agriculture (additional hearing on 8 October 2019)[44]Sylvie Goulard of France, European Commissioner-designate for Internal Market (additional hearing on 10 October 2019)[45]Ylva Johansson of Sweden, European Commissioner-designate for Home Affairs| Candidate | Official nomination | Portfolio | Committee vote | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Committee | In favor | Against | Abstain | |||||||
| EPP | Johannes Hahn | AUT | 22 July 2019 | Budget and Administration | 3 October 2019 | BUDG | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [46] | |||
| CONT | |||||||||||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| ALDE | Didier Reynders | BEL | Justice | 2 October 2019 | LIBE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | |||||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| IMCO | |||||||||||
| EPP | Mariya Gabriel | BUL | 23 July 2019 | Innovation and Youth | 30 September 2019 | CULT | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [47][48] | |||
| ITRE | |||||||||||
| EPP | Dubravka Šuica | CRO | 22 August 2019 | Democracy and Demography (Vice President) | 3 October 2019 | AFCO | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [49][50] | |||
| EMPL | |||||||||||
| EPP | Stella Kyriakidou | CYP | 23 July 2019 | Health | 1 October 2019 | ENVI | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [51][52] | |||
| AGRI | |||||||||||
| ALDE | Věra Jourová | CZE | 26 August 2019 | Values and Transparency (Vice President) | 7 October 2019 | LIBE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [53][54] | |||
| AFCO | |||||||||||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| ALDE | Margrethe Vestager | DEN | 1 August 2019 | A Europe Fit for the Digital Age (Executive Vice President) | 8 October 2019 | ECON | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [55] | |||
| ITRE | |||||||||||
| IMCO | |||||||||||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| ALDE | Kadri Simson | EST | 22 July 2019 | Energy | 3 October 2019 | ITRE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [56][57] | |||
| ENVI | |||||||||||
| PES | Jutta Urpilainen | FIN | 22 July 2019 | International Partnerships | 1 October 2019 | DEVE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [58] | |||
| Ind. | Thierry Breton | FRA | Internal Market | IMCO | |||||||
| ITRE | |||||||||||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| CULT | |||||||||||
| EPP | Margaritis Schinas | GRE | 23 July 2019 | Promoting the European Way of Life (Vice President) | 3 October 2019 | LIBE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [59][60] | |||
| CULT | |||||||||||
| EMPL | |||||||||||
| EPP | Olivér Várhelyi | HUN | 1 October 2019 | Neighbourhood and Enlargement | AFET | [61] | |||||
| EPP | Phil Hogan | IRL | 31 July 2019 | Trade | 30 September 2019 | INTA | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [62][63] | |||
| PES | Paolo Gentiloni | ITA | 6 September 2019 | Economy | 3 October 2019 | ECON | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [64][65] | |||
| BUDG | |||||||||||
| EMPL | |||||||||||
| EPP | Valdis Dombrovskis | LAT | 23 July 2019 | An Economy that Works for People (Executive Vice President) | 8 October 2019 | ECON | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [66] | |||
| EMPL | |||||||||||
| BUDG | |||||||||||
| Ind. | Virginijus Sinkevičius | LIT | 28 August 2019 | Environment, Oceans and Fisheries | 3 October 2019 | ENVI | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [67] | |||
| PECH | |||||||||||
| PES | Nicolas Schmit | LUX | Jobs and Social Rights | 1 October 2019 | EMPL | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | |||||
| ECON | |||||||||||
| PES | Helena Dalli | MLT | 31 July 2019 | Equality | 2 October 2019 | FEMM | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [68] | |||
| EMPL | |||||||||||
| LIBE | |||||||||||
| PES | Frans Timmermans | NED | 24 July 2019 | European Green Deal (Executive Vice President) | 8 October 2019 | ENVI | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [69] | |||
| ITRE | |||||||||||
| TRAN | |||||||||||
| ECR | Janusz Wojciechowski | POL | 2 September 2019 | Agriculture | 10 October 2019 | AGRI | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [70] | |||
| ENVI | |||||||||||
| PES | Elisa Ferreira | POR | 26 August 2019 | Cohesion and Reforms | 2 October 2019 | REGI | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [71] | |||
| BUDG | |||||||||||
| ECON | |||||||||||
| PES | Adina-Ioana Vălean | ROM | 7 October 2019 | Transport | TRAN | [72] | |||||
| ENVI | |||||||||||
| PES | Maroš Šefčovič | SVK | 19 July 2019 | Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight (Vice President) | 30 September 2019 | AFCO | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [73][74] | |||
| JURI | |||||||||||
| PETI | |||||||||||
| ITRE | |||||||||||
| ALDE | Janez Lenarčič | SLO | 26 July 2019 | Crisis Management | 2 October 2019 | DEVE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [75][76] | |||
| ENVI | |||||||||||
| PES | Josep Borrell | ESP | Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Vice President) | 7 October 2019 | AFET | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [22] | ||||
| PES | Ylva Johansson | SWE | 8 August 2019 | Home Affairs | 1 October 2019 | LIBE | Confirmed by the Coordinators no Committee vote | [77] | |||
Responsible Committee Associated Committee | |||||||||||
| Candidate | Portfolio | Date | Reason | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PES | Rovana Plumb | ROM | Transport | 26 September 2019 | Rejected by the JURI Committee due to discrepancies in her declarations of interests. | |
| EPP | László Trócsányi | HUN | Neighbourhood and Enlargement | 26 September 2019 | Rejected by the JURI Committee due to his personal finances in connection with his law firm and possible connections with Russia. | |
| ALDE | Sylvie Goulard | FRA | Internal Market | 10 October 2019 | Rejected by the responsible committees after the hearing with 82 votes against, 29 in favour and 1 abstention. | |
Von der Leyen has organized the Commission into groups supervised by the designated executive vice presidents and vice presidents. The members as of 31 May 2024[update] are below.[115]
| Group | Commissioner | Portfolio(s) |
|---|---|---|
| European Green Deal | Maroš Šefčovič | European Green Deal (executive vice president) Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight |
| Stella Kyriakides | Health and Food Safety | |
| Adina Vălean | Transport | |
| Kadri Simson | Energy | |
| Virginijus Sinkevičius | Environment, Oceans and Fisheries | |
| Janusz Wojciechowski | Agriculture | |
| Elisa Ferreira | Cohesion and Reforms | |
| Wopke Hoekstra | Climate Action | |
| A Europe Fit for the Digital Age | Margrethe Vestager | A Europe Fit for the Digital Age (executive vice president) Competition |
| Thierry Breton | Internal Market | |
| Nicolas Schmit | Jobs and Social Rights | |
| Didier Reynders | Justice | |
| Iliana Ivanova | Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth | |
| An Economy That Works for People | Valdis Dombrovskis | An Economy That Works for People (executive vice president) Trade |
| Nicolas Schmit | Jobs and Social Rights | |
| Paolo Gentiloni | Economy | |
| Elisa Ferreira | Cohesion and Reforms | |
| Mairead McGuinness | Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union | |
| Promoting Our European Way of Life | Margaritis Schinas | Promoting Our European Way of Life (vice president) |
| Helena Dalli | Equality | |
| Ylva Johansson | Home Affairs | |
| Stella Kyriakides | Health and Food Safety | |
| Nicolas Schmit | Jobs and Social Rights | |
| Iliana Ivanova | Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth | |
| A Stronger Europe in the World | Josep Borrell | A Stronger Europe in the World (vice president) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy |
| Olivér Várhelyi | Neighbourhood and Enlargement | |
| Janez Lenarčič | Crisis Management | |
| Jutta Urpilainen | International Partnerships | |
| A New Push for European Democracy | Věra Jourová | Values and Transparency (vice president) |
| Didier Reynders | Justice | |
| Maroš Šefčovič | European Green Deal (executive vice president) Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight | |
| Dubravka Šuica | Democracy and Demography (vice president) | |
| Helena Dalli | Equality |
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| Executive Agency | Head | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Abbr. | |
| European Education and Culture Executive Agency | EACEA | Sophie Beernaerts (acting) |
| European Research Council Executive Agency | ERCEA | Laurence Moreau |
| European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency | EISMEA | Jean-David Malo |
| Research Executive Agency | REA | Marc Tachelet |
| European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency | CINEA | Paloma Aba Garrote (acting) |
| Health and Digital Executive Agency | HADEA | Marina Zanchi |
| Service department | Head | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Abbr. | |
| Administration and Payment of Individual Entitlements | PMO | |
| Data Protection Officer | DPO | |
| European Anti-Fraud Office | OLAF | |
| European Personnel Selection Office | EPSO | |
| European Political Strategy Centre | EPSC | |
| Foreign Policy Instruments | FPI | |
| Historical Archives Service | ||
| Infrastructure and Logistics in Brussels | OIB | |
| Infrastructure and Logistics in Luxembourg | OIL | |
| Innovation and Networks Executive Agency | INEA | |
| Internal Audit Service | IAS | |
| Legal Service | SJ | |
| Library and e-Resources Centre | ||
| Publications Office | OP | |
| Secretariat-General | SG | |
| Structural Reform Support Service | SRSS | |
| Taskforce on Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom | ||
With the three monthBrexit delay requested, the United Kingdom had not nominated any British commissioner. This was a unique event with no precedent in the history of the European Union. Von der Leyen had to formally request the British Government nominate an EU commissioner. She also asked the legal service if the commission could operate without a British commissioner. Some MEPs have suggested the possibility of a vote to allow the EU Commission to operate without a British commissioner.[116]
The United Kingdom left the European Union at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020, so the position of British commissioner remained vacant until its automatic abolition when Brexit occurred.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(July 2024) |
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TheEuropean Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the Von der Leyen Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union climate neutral in 2050.[117][118] Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Green Deal would be Europe's "man on the moon moment".[118] She said theEU emission trading system is needed to reducecarbon dioxide emissions.[119]
Von der Leyen Commission proposed theEU Asylum and Migration Pact in September 2020. The deal was agreed to on 20 December 2023 between representatives of theEuropean Parliament and theCouncil of the European Union.[120] Ursula von der Leyen praised the EU Asylum and Migration Pact as a "huge achievement for Europe".[121] Countries where migrants first arrive will newly be able to relocate a total of up to 30,000 migrants per year to other EU member states. The Pact will institute a "mandatory solidarity mechanism".[122] The Pact has been criticized by some right-wing politicians for not going far enough to prevent illegal immigration, such as missing provisions relating to migrant returns.[123]
The provisions of The Pact apply to migrants caught illegally crossing anexternal EU border, such as those reaching the shores of Greece, Italy or Spain via theMediterranean Sea orAtlantic Ocean on boats provided by smugglers; estimated at around 300,000 migrants in 2023.[124] Provisions do not apply to legal migrants to the EU (~3.5 million in 2023) and migrants who arrived legally but overstayed their visas (~700,000 in 2023).[124]
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From the outset of her mandate asPresident of the European Commission, von der Leyen stated her intention to have a "geopolitical commission".[125] French president Emmanuel Macron is the most important driving force behind the ambition of a geopolitical commission. His vision is that the EU must become a political and strategic player with one voice.[126] Critics have pointed out that by flying the geopolitical flag, von der Leyen has exposed the weaknesses of the EU as a whole in playing a decisive role at the high diplomatic table.[127]
Ursula von der Leyen accompanied French PresidentEmmanuel Macron to the2023 France–China Summit.[128]
In 2023, the Von der Leyen Commission and Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi negotiated the creation of a "strategic partnership" between the EU andEgypt.[129]
In 2022, four people were arrested for corruption in the European Parliament. This came to be known as theQatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament. Von der Leyen said the allegations were "very serious" and called for the creation of a new ethics body to oversee the European Union.[130]
Competitiveness and economic security emerged as key themes during Von der Leyen's first term. In 2023, she commissioned ex-ECB headMario Draghi to write a report on enhancing the EU's competitiveness in the face of Chinese and US competition. TheDraghi report was announced in VDL's State of the Union 2023 address and presented a year later in September 2024, during the formation phase of Von der Leyen's second term college of commissioners.[131]
In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the EU passed theNext Generation EU package, worth 750 billion euros. Von der Leyen's Commission proposed the package on 27 May 2020.[132]
Speaking at theCOP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Czech Prime MinisterAndrej Babiš criticised the von der Leyen Commission,[133] saying that it "continues to propose dangerous policies such as theban on combustible engines in 2035, orcarbon allowances for transport and individual housing. Due to improper legislature and speculation, the price of emission allowances has gone out of control, resulting in the surging costs of electricity."[134]
Poland's Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki said that the EU'scarbon pricing system unfairly disadvantages poorer countries in Southern and Eastern Europe.[135] In August 2023, the Polish government filed a series of complaints with theCourt of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against provisions that are part of theFit for 55 package, claiming that three EU climate policies threaten Poland's economy andenergy security.[136]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under theCC BY 4.0 license.
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