The President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent a second letter to the British government on Tuesday 12 November inviting it to appoint a European Commissioner to complete the future College, which is due to take office on 1 December.
“So far, the British government has not responded” to the President-elect’s request to provide her with one or more names, said Dana Spinant, her spokesperson. She pointed out that the British Government’s response to this second letter was expected “by the end of the week” and that the letter recalled the country’s obligations as a Member State, while the European Council extended the Brexit deadline a third time, this time until 31 January 2020.
Ms Spinant also refused to say whether Ursula von der Leyen’s team would not be able to take office on 1 December if the United Kingdom had not yet appointed a Commissioner by that date.
She also declined to answer questions about the portfolio that could be assigned to the Commissioner-designate of that country. “There is no question of discussing a portfolio without a name”, she said.
The British government had been given an initial deadline for appointing a Commissioner, set for 11 November, in a letter sent last week (see EUROPE 12366/17). The British Government, for its part, keeps repeating that it will meet its obligations.
At a seminar for journalists, the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, expressed his conviction that it will be possible to achieve “clear and unambiguous answers”. The United Kingdom retains its democratic right to choose, but “any desire to block the whole process is unthinkable”, he said.
On behalf of the EPP group, Germany’s Manfred Weber considered that the process of setting up the von der Leyen Commission, which he wanted to be in office in early December, was in the hands of the EU Council. “If the British do not provide sufficient answers, the EU Council can say that we start [with a Commission] of 27. This is possible from a legal point of view”, he said.
The chairwoman of the Social Democratic Group Iratxe García Pérez of Spain also admitted that, notwithstanding Ms von der Leyen’s request, there was a legal debate on the United Kingdom’s obligation to appoint a Commissioner candidate. While she has been very active in promoting gender parity in the von der Leyen team, she has paved the way for her political group to approve the future College, even if the British do not appoint a woman, as the next Commission will come as close as possible to this parity. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Mathieu Bion)