On Tuesday 29 August, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the nomination of Wopke Hoekstra, the candidate put forward by the Dutch government for the post of European Commissioner, to the post of European Commissioner for Climate Action. Mr Hoekstra would report to Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President in charge of the European Green Deal, inter-institutional relations and strategic foresight.
In a press release issued following her meeting with Mr Hoekstra, Ms von der Leyen praised Mr Hoekstra’s “significant experience” in European affairs and “great commitment to the European Union”. Ms von der Leyen also stressed that Mr Hoekstra’s “governmental experience”, particularly as Foreign Minister, would be a “strong asset” in the context of COP28 and for the implementation of climate-related legislative and financial instruments.
However, while the President of the Commission attests to Wopke Hoekstra’s “commitment” to pursuing an “ambitious climate policy” and “maintaining a social balance”, this appointment, which comes in the wake of the departure of Frans Timmermans (see EUROPE 13234/3), has not gone unchallenged. In recent days, particularly among the parliamentary groups, a number of voices have expressed concern about the Commissioner-designate’s affiliation with the Christian Democratic Party (CDA), which is on the right of the political spectrum (see EUROPE 13236/1).
“It is incomprehensible that the political balance should be tipped in favour of the right. The nomination of an EPP candidate to succeed a Social Democrat is extremely unsportsmanlike on the part of the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte”, explained the co-presidents of The Left, Manon Aubry (French) and Martin Schirdewan (German), in a press release published ahead of Ms von der Leyen’s statement.
The next step for Wopke Hoekstra will be to appear before the parliamentary committee responsible for his portfolio, where he will be assessed on his skills and suitability for the job. If this assessment is positive, the Commissioner-designate will then be subject to a single vote of approval by the European Parliament, which will determine his appointment by the Council of the European Union to the post until the end of the Commission’s term of office in November 2024.
To see Ursula von der Leyen’s statement, go to https://aeur.eu/f/8dh (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)