After having been, for 5 years, the figures of the European executive, five Commissioners will this time find themselves on the other side, in charge of adopting legislative texts, which they themselves may have proposed.
This is particularly the case of the first Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, who, if he does not become head of the Commission, will sit in the S&D group in the European Parliament. On Sunday 26 May, the Labour Party (PvdA) came out on top in the Netherlands with 18.90%, obtaining 6 seats.
Elected from the list of the Reform Party, which obtained 26.20% in Estonia, the European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, will sit in the ALDE group.
The former Prime Minister of Estonia had already taken his first steps in politics at European level as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014, for a very short period, before taking up his post as Commissioner.
At the beginning of May, he was already planning his probable election, recalling that the new Estonian government, associated with an extreme right-wing party, had not been built with the liberal party from which it came and that it would be a government representative sent to the Commission (see EUROPE 12254/29).
The European Commissioner for Financial Services, Valdis Dombrovskis, is also returning to Parliament. Head of the list for the conservative party Nouvelle Unité, which obtained 26.24%, he will sit in the ranks of the EPP.
The youngest member of the European Commission, Mariya Gabriel, who inherited the Digital Economy, had already made her debut in Parliament from 2009 to 2017. Representing the ruling party in Bulgaria, the GERB, which obtained 30.94%, she will sit in the EPP.
Finally, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, was elected from the list Pro Romania which obtained 6.7% of the votes in the European elections.
The Commissioner, who is second on the list, had decided, after 30 years as a member, to leave the Social Democratic Party (PSD) following the many scandals and authoritarian abuses of her party (see EUROPE 12262/2, 12243/11). She will sit in the S&D, while Victor Ponta, former Romanian Prime Minister, will sit in the ECR.
It will be particularly interesting to follow her votes on the various legislative proposals for post-2020 cohesion policy that she submitted as Commissioner. The question of macroeconomic conditions on the Structural and Investment Funds will be one of the points to be examined in particular. Although Parliament has withdrawn it from its position (see EUROPE 12193/2), the EU Council may well maintain it (see EUROPE 12235/1).
While they campaigned for ALDE, the Commissioners for Transport, Slovenian Violeta Bulc, and for Competition, Danish Margrethe Vestager, are the only members of ALDE's 'Europe' team who are not representatives in their countries for their national party (see EUROPE 12219/3).
For the Commissioner of Justice, Vĕra Jourová, this is her second term of office at the Commission. On Monday 27 May, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš confirmed that his party would support Mrs Jourová for the post of European Commissioner.
However, he indicated that he would prefer that his country obtain a different portfolio, for example that of the Internal Market. The issue must be discussed with the Social Democrats, coalition partners, according to a European source, who was rather optimistic.
The five elected European Commissioners will now have to leave their posts to take up their seats in Parliament. According to a European source, the succession to fill interim posts will be the subject of discussions on Tuesday 28 May at the European Council, where Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to consult the Member States. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana with Pascal Hansens and Camille-Cerise Gessant)