The political pressure, exacerbated by international geopolitical issues, was too great. On Wednesday 20 November, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament’s political groups (CoP) placed the vote on the entire ‘von der Leyen II’ College on the provisional agenda of the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg. If the election by simple majority of MEPs goes ahead as planned on Wednesday 27 November, the Commission will take office in early December.
This decision was made possible by a prior agreement, negotiated intensively since the day before (see EUROPE 13527/10), between the political families in the European Parliament that re-elected the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in July, and that were supposed to form the ‘pro-European, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law’ majority during the legislative term that is about to begin.
It was not discussed in depth in the CoP. Only The Left group is understood to have complained about the way the confirmation hearings were conducted. On the X network, its Co-Chair, the Frenchwoman Manon Aubry, described the process as a “democratic disgrace” that failed to assess the potential conflicts of interest of the European commissioners-designate and was marked by delays to allow arrangements between conservatives, socialists and liberals.
A ‘package’ of seven appointments. On Wednesday morning, the Christian Democrat EPP Group announced that it was open to confirming the six executive vice-presidents appointed to the ‘von der Leyen II’ Commission and the European Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, as part of a package, by validation of their performance at their respective hearings. Following the CoP meeting, the relevant parliamentary committees were due to meet to approve, by a two-thirds majority of the political groups including the conservative ECR group, the appointment of the seven individuals whose fate was still in doubt.
Despite repeated opposition from the Spanish Partido Popular (PP) delegation, this overture from the EPP group was facilitated by the appearance of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera before the Spanish parliament, where she explained her actions and role during the recent tragic floods in the Valencia region.
Ms Ribera is in the process of clearing the decks, said a parliamentary source while the Spanish minister was still speaking.
However, the EPP group noted that the Spanish Socialist had avoided committing herself to resigning from her position as Vice-President of the Commission if she were to face legal proceedings in Spain for her role during DANA. It stressed that Ms Ribera “should” do so at the request of the courts, in a press release in English, while the Spanish-language version of the same press release states that, in the opinion of the EPP, she “must” resign if the Spanish courts so request.
During a visit to Brussels, the Spanish Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, said that the opportunity for Spain to have a Spaniard in such an important position within the European Commission “should delight any political party” in Spain. He hoped for a swift decision on Ms Ribera, who he said had demonstrated “her value and her European vision”.
In return for this overture from the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and Social Democrats agreed to validate the appointment of two controversial candidates: - the Italian conservative Raffaele Fitto, nominated by the President of the Italian Council, Giorgia Meloni; - and Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi, a close associate of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s far-right Fidesz party.
The Chair of the EPP group, Germany’s Manfred Weber, believes that the conservative ECR group in the European Parliament is an acceptable partner, not least because national parties that are members of the EPP govern in the Member States with parties that are members of the ECR group, or even Patriots for Europe. On the other hand, the progressive S&D and Greens/EFA and centre-right Renew Europe groups take a very different view and consider certain conservative parties as belonging to the extreme right.
The Liberals cite a reality principle. The Chair of the Renew Europe group, Frenchwoman Valérie Hayer, is said to be working to renew the link between the Chair of the S&D group, Spaniard Iratxe García Pérez, and Mr Weber, whose relations have deteriorated considerably since the EPP began flirting with the conservatives and the far right. The fact that the Bavarian spoke on behalf of the Partido Popular regarding Ms Ribera’s candidacy was one episode too many in the eyes of Ms García Pérez. The Liberals point out that when it comes to the scope of the portfolios and the internal organisation of the College, this is the prerogative of the President of the Commission.
Validating the candidacies of Mr Fitto and Mr Várhelyi is difficult for certain national delegations within the S&D group to accept. Gradually returning to the electoral campaign trail, the German SPD is taking a dim view of this concession to the far right. In opposition on the national political scene, the Italians of the Partito Democratico are reluctant to approve a nomination made by their political opponent, Giorgia Meloni.
Within the EPP group, it has been pointed out that, during the first week of confirmation hearings, the S&D and Renew Europe groups did not make a fuss when their Commissioners-designate needed the support of the Conservatives to achieve a two-thirds majority. It will also be recalled that in 2019, the Social Democrats validated the ‘von der Leyen I’ Commission, on which Mr Várhelyi already sat, with the more important portfolio of Enlargement.
It should be noted, however, that his future portfolio could be slightly adjusted, perhaps on the issue of sexual and reproductive rights. But every effort will be made to avoid further hearings.
Written statement. Another aspect of the political agreement is the drafting of a two-page written declaration between the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe groups, designed to reiterate the principles of their collaboration with a view to maintaining a pro-European majority at the centre of the political spectrum and to rebuild a bond of trust between the partners.
In this non-binding statement, the Christian Democrats undertake to “work together with a constructive approach” to forge compromises with the Social Democrats and Liberals. But they do not promise to achieve this on every issue, leaving the door open to ad hoc agreements with the conservatives, or even the far right, depending on their own political priorities, as is the case with the deforestation regulation (see other news).
We will do our best to find an agreement, but if this is not possible, we will act according to our priorities agreed at the EPP Party Congress last February in Bucharest (see EUROPE 13366/1), said this parliamentary source. We need to work on content and build majorities, they added.
Leaked on Wednesday evening, the statement reiterates these principles of cooperation and lists in nine points the consensual policy areas on which the three political families will fight, including a competitive Europe, the preservation of the social market economy, the strengthening of the rule of law, the protection of natural resources, the orderly management of migration and the defence of multilateralism...
See the statement by the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe groups: https://aeur.eu/f/ef5 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion, with Lionel Changeur)