At least Ursula von der Leyen has already fulfilled a promise: half of the new EU Commission is made up of men and women - at least, if one counts double from Leyen as the future president. In addition to the CDU politician, 14 Commissioners and 13 Commissioners will occupy the top level of the Brussels authority from 1 November - if the case is upheld, the European Parliament confirms all of them. (An overview of the entire future commission can be found here.)
Ursula von der Leyen's commission has fewer former prime ministers than its predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker's team. Quite a few in Brussels are therefore afraid that Leyen's force could have less clout than the predecessor team, for example in order to enforce controversial EU projects against capital cities.
But that does not have to be the case, as an overview of Leyen's most important colleagues shows. A nomination in particular could not appeal to the British government.
Who is and will be important in Brussels
The prevented president: Frans Timmermans (Social Democrat, Netherlands).
Timmermans has made a name for himself in recent years, above all as a fighter for the rule of law. As the first vice-president of the EU Commission, the former Dutch foreign minister, who speaks seven languages, was responsible, among other things, for the criminal proceedings against Poland and Hungary. The 58-year-old received the receipt after the European election in which he was the Social Democratic leading candidate for the office of Commission President: His nomination by the EU leaders failed because of the resistance of the Viségrad countries Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia ,
As a consolation, the statesmen Timmermans at least spoke directly to a vice-presidential post in the new commission. In terms of content, he will be responsible for the topic of the "European Green Deal" in the future, in other words according to which von Leyen is helping to make the EU the first climate-neutral continent on the planet. In addition, he should be responsible for the climate policy of the European Commission.
More than the secret number two: Margrethe Vestager (Liberals, Denmark).
It was a tough struggle that the Liberals held in the European Parliament, but in the end it was clear: In the new EU Commission, Vestager will not only be one of the two deputies to the Leyens, she will be treated as equal to her colleague Frans Timmermans. In reality, their influence could soon surpass that of Timmermans. Whether she worked as a Deputy Prime Minister in Denmark or as an EU Competition Commissioner, Vestager knew how to create an appropriate stage for herself from every position. That unites her with von der Leyen. The two met soon after being nominated by the Leyen Commission Commissioner, both come together well, it is heard. Both could become competitors in the future. For it is not excluded that Vestager will once again be calling for the Liberals after the Commission's chairmanship in five years' time.
She now has the starting position as Vice President with responsibility for Digitales, the theme of the future. "In some areas, Europe must catch up," said von der Leyen at the presentation of the Commissioners. In addition, and this is a tangible surprise, Vestager remains Competition Commissioner. Vestager had brought the EU on par with tech giants from the US, but remained modest in their role. The EU Commission is not a European government, she told SPIEGEL in the middle of April, but an agency that should do its job. "We do not play the first role in people's everyday lives and should not aim for that."
The veteran: Josep Borrell (Social Democrat, Spain).
Borrell is another heavyweight in from the Leyens commission. As the new EU External Representative and Vice-President of the Commission, he succeeds Italian Federica Mogherini. The 72-year-old looks back on a long career in Europe: in 2004 he was only elected to the European Parliament for the first time, until 2007 he was its president. Most recently, since June 2018, he was foreign minister in the cabinet of Social Democrat Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. In his home country and in the EU, Borrell, himself a native of Catalonia, has made a name for himself as an opponent of the Catalan independence movement. However, he is regarded as a prudent representative of the balance and sat in conflict with the Catalan separatists on factual arguments.
Macron's confidante: Sylvie Goulard (Liberals, France).
Had Ursula von der Leyen been able to choose a French commissioner, her choice would have fallen on Sylvie Goulard. The 54-year-old is a graduate of French elite universities, speaks perfect German (in addition to Italian and English) and knows from the Leyen from their short time as French Defense Minister. Above all, she maintains a close relationship with France's President Emmanuel Macron. "It seems to me that some who now speak out forget that Marine Le Pen could have been French President," she warned German critics of the President in SPIEGEL.
In the von Leyens commission Goulard will be responsible for the internal market. She will also be under a new Directorate General for Defense Industry and Space. The portfolio fits France. In the tradition of its predecessors, President Macron wishes for a more active European industrial policy - also to counter China's influence. Nobody doubts that Goulard has grown from being the deputy boss of the Banque de France. Nevertheless, she will have to ask critical questions at the hearings in the European Parliament. In June 2017, Goulard resigned after only a month in office as French Defense Minister, because her party had employed modem employees of MEPs for party duties. But personally, no misconduct could be proven.
The bearer of hope from Rome: Paolo Gentiloni (Social Democrat, Italy).
He has a key role to play in the new Commission - not only because he wants to take over the economic sector, but also because he is Italian. Gentiloni's homeland has changed from being one of the EU's most friendly to one of the EU's most critical in recent years, according to polls. One reason is the EU's austerity policy since the financial crisis of 2008 and Brussels' ongoing criticism of Italy's public debt, which in the EU is surpassed only by Greece. The second reason is that the Italians have long been let down by the EU on the refugee and migration issue. Italian right-wing populists such as Lega boss Matteo Salvini have used both virtuoso to make against the EU mood and to collect votes. This triggered even fears in Brussels, Italy could leave the euro and thereby bring him to collapse.
Gentiloni, Brussels hope, could better communicate EU financial and economic policies in Italy. In Italy, on the other hand, one hopes for much more. There, the idea is widespread that the former Italian Prime Minister, the policy of the EU specifically to Italian wishes align, that is: in public deficit more often turn a blind eye. But that would cause sharp criticism, especially from Germany. For von der Leyen, the nomination Gentilonis as Economic Commissioner is therefore not without risk.
The shirt-sleeved Irishman: Phil Hogan (Christian Democrat, Ireland).
Trade policy will be one of the major topics of Commission Ursula von der Leyens - and Phil Hogan seems the right man for it. As US President Donald Trump builds new walls, the EU is currently concluding one free trade agreement after another. But the most important thing is yet to come - after Brexit, when the EU and the British regulate their future economic relations. The new Trade Commissioner must also defy US President Donald Trump if he continues to threaten punitive tariffs on European car imports.
Hogan is a logical choice for the job. Tall, jovial and open in dealing, English as a native language - in the US, you will take him first. And that just an Irishman after the Brexit negotiations with the British on a trade agreement, underlines that the EU will not let the Irish in the dispute Britain. However, it will be important not only how Hogan represents the EU externally, but also how he addresses the increasing criticism of free trade agreements such as Mercosur since the forest fires in the Amazon. If he does not come up with convincing answers, Europe's new free trade euphoria could soon be over.
The young high-flyer: Virginijus Sinkevicius (Greens, Lithuania).
Sinkevicius is an exception in the European Commission - because he is just 28 years old. Nevertheless, he gets responsibility for important topics with the environment and the oceans. This proves, said von der Leyen, that the EU also give responsibility to the younger generation. The election could prove useful, especially with the handling of the "Fridays for Future" climate change movement.
For Sinkevicius, the nomination as EU Commissioner is the preliminary culmination of his blitz career. He has not even been in politics for three years: at the end of 2016, he was elected to the Lithuanian Parliament, where he promptly headed the Economic Committee. In November 2017 he became Minister of Economic Affairs and thus the youngest member of the Government in the history of his native country. However, as EU Commissioner he will face similar reservations as in his previous duties: he has little experience and will need to prove his competence first.
