Wednesday 20 November could prove decisive for the formation of the ‘von der Leyen II’ College.
The appearance before the Spanish parliament of the Executive Vice-President-designate, Teresa Ribera, to explain the action and potential responsibility of the Sánchez government during the tragic floods in the Valencia region could have a bearing on how Europe’s Christian Democrats behave when assessing her performance at her confirmation hearing in the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13522/1), although the Spanish delegation of the EPP group seems determined to maintain its request for her removal.
On Tuesday, according to several parliamentary sources, discussions were held at the European Parliament between the leaders of the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe political groups which formed the 'pro-European, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law’ majority that re-elected the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in mid-July (see EUROPE 13456/1). The aim was to reach a written agreement that would enable this coalition to stay alive despite the temptation, repeatedly expressed since July by the Christian Democrats to form an alliance with the conservatives and the far right, notably on the weakening of the draft regulation to combat deforestation (see EUROPE 13524/1).
The aim of this agreement is to enable the Conference of Presidents of the political groups (CoP) to decide, on Wednesday afternoon, to put the vote on the 'von der Leyen II' College on the agenda for the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday 27 November. On Wednesday morning, the S&D group will adopt its position for the CoP.
Between now and the plenary session, the parliamentary committees responsible for holding hearings for the six executive vice-presidents-designate and the European Commissioner-designate, Olivér Várhelyi, will have to meet and finalise their assessments.
The scenario put forward remains that of a rapid approval of the ‘von der Leyen II’ College as submitted to the confirmation hearings, with a view to taking office in early December. According to the daily El País, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and Ms von der Leyen, who met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio, want Ms Ribera’s candidacy to be endorsed so that she can become the College’s number two in charge of the Ecological Transition and Competition. To convince the Christian Democrats, will she announce that she will step aside in the event of a legal wrangle in connection with the floods in Valencia?
The balance sought would include a green light from Europe’s Social Democrats for the candidacy of Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, nominated by the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy and of the European Conservatives, Giorgia Meloni. The former MEP could become executive vice-president of the Commission, a post to which the Renew Europe, S&D and Greens/EFA groups were initially opposed. The attitude of the Italian delegation from the S&D group will be scrutinised, after Ms Meloni spoke out against the opposition to Mr Fitto from the Partito Democratico, deeming it anti-Italian.
At the European Parliament, despite the opposition of the latter three groups, two elected members of the ECR group – the Italian Antonella Sberna and the Czech Roberts Zīle – are vice-presidents of the EU institution.
Then there is the case of the Commissioner-designate for Public Health, Olivér Várhelyi. Progressive and centre-right political families would have liked to have a dig at the former Hungarian ambassador to the EU, despite a performance in which he demonstrated his knowledge of the dossier (see EUROPE 13519/3). He had to answer additional written questions (see EUROPE 13521/3).
Preventing the Hungarian diplomat from serving a second term in the Commission carries the risk that the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, will hold the formation of the ‘von der Leyen’ College hostage. Granting new powers or reducing the size of the portfolio could delay the process, as the Commissioner or Commissioners-designate, who would inherit new policies, would have to again appear in hearings before the relevant parliamentary committees. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)