On Monday 8 July, Sweden nominated the current Swedish Minister for European Union Affairs, Jessika Roswall, to become European Commissioner for the 2024-2029 legislature.
Ms Roswall said she was “very honoured” at a press conference with the Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson.
If her nomination is accepted, it will be the first time in 28 years that a member of the Moderate Party, the Swedish liberal conservative party within the EPP, will occupy the post of European Commissioner.
Immediately after the announcement, her predecessor, Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs since 2019 and a member of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, congratulated Ms Roswall on X, acknowledging her experience and “her strong commitment to the EU”.
Tomas Tobé, head of the Swedish delegation to the European Parliament, also praised, on X, “a very good decision”.
The portfolio that Ms Roswall will acquire will still need to be negotiated within the Commission.
On the Belgian side, Didier Reynders, current European Commissioner for Justice, announced the day before, on the news programme of the private Belgian channel RTL-TVi, his desire to remain European Commissioner, after having failed for the second time to take the helm of the Council of Europe last June (see EUROPE 13440/31).
He has already expressed this ambition to the leader of his MR party, Georges-Louis Bouchez, and to the current President of the European Commission and candidate for re-election, Ursula von der Leyen.
He also announced his desire to retain a similar portfolio to enable him to “continue working on the Rule of law”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)