On Tuesday 22 August, the European Commission formally announced the resignation of its Executive Vice-President in charge of the Green Deal Frans Timmermans, a move that had already been mooted for several weeks (see EUROPE 13227/30).
This decision follows the nomination of the Dutch politician to head a joint Social Democrat (PvdA) and Green (GroenLinks) list for the early elections in the Netherlands, scheduled for the autumn.
In a press release, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed her gratitude to Mr Timmermans for his “passionate and tireless work to make the European Green Deal a reality”.
Although in 2019 he became the driving force behind all the political initiatives aimed at making the European Union climate-neutral by 2050, Mr Timmermans had already been working for the European Commission since 2014, where his responsibilities included vice-president in charge of better regulation, inter-institutional relations, the rule of law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Maroš Šefčovič, until now Vice-President responsible for interinstitutional relations, is temporarily taking over Frans Timmermans’ portfolio and will assume the role of Executive Vice-President for the ‘European Green Deal’.
“Following a successful legislation phase, the focus of Executive Vice-President Šefčovič will be the successful roll-out of the European Green Deal as Europe’s growth strategy. Our priority will be to strengthen Industrial Clean Innovation, upgrading our grids and infrastructure for the energy transition and access to Critical Raw Materials”, explained Ms von der Leyen.
However, she has sent an official letter to the Dutch Prime Minister in which she asks the Dutch authorities to propose “a new candidate” for the post of European Commissioner. This person, who could inherit all or part of the portfolio held by Mr Timmermans, will be heard by the European Parliament before taking up their duties.
For the NGO coalition CAN Europe, which spoke out on the X network, formerly Twitter, “there is no doubt that Frans Timmermans contributed to advancing the ‘Green Deal’”. “Now... We’ve got lots to do! We trust newly appointed Maroš Šefčovič to ensure global leadership, and fast and inclusive progress addressing climate crisis”, added the organisation.
Mr Timmermans’ resignation comes at a key moment. A few months before COP28, it poses challenges for the completion of the EU’s climate plan and for the continuation of international negotiations.
This departure is not an isolated case. The former European Commissioner for Innovation, Culture, Research, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, tendered her resignation last May (see EUROPE 13182/24). These changes come at a time when the next European elections will take place in June 2024. They will determine the new balance of power in the European Parliament and influence the composition of the future European college of Commissioners, as the term of office of the ‘von der Leyen’ Commission expires in November 2024. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)