The list of candidates for the post of European Commissioner is growing, with three new nominations revealed on Wednesday 28 August. Denmark, through its Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has proposed its current Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen.
For his part, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has appointed former Finance Minister Maria Luís Albuquerque to the post of Portuguese European Commissioner. With this choice, Portugal is taking a step towards the parity called for by Ursula von der Leyen.
According to a Spanish government spokesperson on Wednesday 28 August, the Spanish Socialist Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, who has been in the running since the start of the summer, has also been officially nominated as a candidate. According to an S&D MEP, she is expected to hold the Environment portfolio.
In 2019, for her first mandate, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, required Member States to submit two names, one man and one woman, before letting her choose between them. The same request was made this summer in a letter dated 25 July (see EUROPE 13461/20). The only exception to the two-name rule would be if the name of an outgoing European Commissioner was put forward.
The Member States have failed to cooperate, since to date only seven women have been proposed out of the 24 names given. In addition to the two previously mentioned, the following have been nominated: Jessika Roswall for Sweden (see EUROPE 13448/3), Henna Virkkunen for Finland, Croatian Dubravka Šuica (see EUROPE 13466/1), Estonian Kaja Kallas appointed to the post of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (see EUROPE 13441/1) and, last but not least, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commissioner for Germany.
Even if Belgium, Bulgaria and Italy, which have yet to appoint their commissioners, each nominated a woman, parity would not be achieved. These countries have until 30 August to inform Ursula von der Leyen of their choice. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)