Europe

Greens/EFA not convinced on von der Leyen proposal European Commission

Today, the next European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, unveiled the proposed candidates for Commissioners and their portfolios. The nominees will face hearings in the European Parliament in the coming weeks.

Ska Keller, President of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, comments:

"For the first time, we have a female President and a gender-balanced Commission where Equalities play a role, which is a welcome step forward.

"President von der Leyen has made the climate a priority of this Commission and it’s good to have a heavy weight as Timmermans responsible for this portfolio. However, Executive Vice-President for the 'European Green Deal' is a huge undertaking and a lot of priorities for one person.

"We will be watching closely to ensure that these moves go beyond nice words and translate into action. We are ready to work constructively with the new Commission to build ambitious proposals to save the planet as we have no time to waste."

"It is scary to see a proposal for a portfolio on “Protecting the European way of life which includes a responsibility for migration and border protection. We hope President von der Leyen doesn’t see a contradiction between supporting refugees and European values.

"It is very concerning to see the Hungarian nominee, László Trócsányi, who as Justice minister played an active role in undermining the rule of law nominated to the body which is charged with protecting the EU treaties and promoting European values. Recent allegations about an OLAF investigation on the Polish pick, Janusz Wojciechowski, must be addressed."

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