The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has formalized the adjustments in the allocation of portfolios that had been promised to MEPs (see EUROPE 12368/4). On 1st December, she sent new mission letters to the 26 Commissioners specifying or even amending their qualifications and/or competencies.
As for the portfolio titles, we already knew the adjustments in that of Mariya Gabriel - in charge of Innovation, Youth and now Research, Culture and Education - and in that of Margaritis Schinas, who took over the Dialogue and Religions and handed over Equality to Vera Jourova. But Ursula von der Leyen has also formalized the new title of Stella Kyriakides, who is in charge of Health and now Food Safety. A cosmetic change, since her mission letter of 10 September already provided for the Commissioner to deal with food safety.
As far as missions are concerned, we can mention particular novelties in the mission letter of the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. This now refers to a “European Data Strategy” (see EUROPE 12352/7). It also instructs the Frenchman to “prevent and counter disinformation and false information online, while preserving freedom of expression, freedom of the press and media pluralism”.
In total, twenty Commissioners are seeing an adjustment of their mission and/or a change in the title of their portfolio.
See the adjustments made: http://bit.ly/2OFfh9U (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)