On Friday 25 August, the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, officially proposed Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs since January 2022, as a candidate for the post of European Commissioner for the Netherlands, following the resignation of Frans Timmermans from his post as Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the ‘European Green Deal’ to stand in the parliamentary elections (see EUROPE 13235/24).
Wopke Hoekstra was also previously leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), a party on the right of the political spectrum. A former finance minister, he was named in 2020 in the Pandora Papers for investments made in the British Virgin Islands (see EUROPE 12804/2).
If the Dutch minister does not become Executive Vice-President in charge of coordinating the Green Deal, a position assigned earlier this week to Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič (see EUROPE 13234/3), he could nonetheless be called upon to play a crucial role in implementing the EU’s climate policies, which is sure to provoke a reaction.
In a press release, the S&D group stressed the importance of keeping the climate portfolio within the Socialist and Democrat family, given the current political stakes, denouncing in particular the “cynical and populist manoeuvres of the conservative EPP”. While deploring the “loss” of Frans Timmermans, the S&D group did not fail to point out that “Wopke Hoekstra made a name for himself in the European public eye with his controversial statements during the Covid-19 crisis”. They added: “A Commissioner nominee does not make a Commissioner (...). Any Commissioner-designate must go through serious and tough hearings in the European Parliament”.
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is due to hold discussions with Mr Hoekstra on 29 August to determine the portfolio that will be allocated to him on the basis of his qualifications and profile. This appointment, if approved, will run until the end of November 2024. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)