Bernd Lange, the German MEP who heads the Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC), “will summarize” Tuesday’s discussion “and bring both proposals to CoP, highlighting a clear majority in CCC for November,” said two parliamentary officials with knowledge of the process, granted anonymity to speak freely. The only faction pushing for a mid-October start date is … Read more
The European Parliament has around 5,300 permanent staffers and 2,411 of them are in line for a pay rise, according to a document seen by Brussels Playbook. The list of names is so long that the document, dated September, runs to 70 pages. Not all of the 2,411 people on the list will necessarily get a … Read more
Let’s start with the basics. What happened? Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second term as European Commission president in July (more on how that happened later). The former German defense minister has been in the job since 2019 thanks to a backroom deal between then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel … Read more
3. Von der Leyen crowns herself the winner on gender despite lack of balance Von der Leyen’s month-long struggle to get a gender-balanced European Commission did not lead to an equal number of men and women on her team, despite her pressure on countries to send one male and one female candidate from each country. … Read more
After a ‘will she, won’t she’ few days, Ursula von der Leyen is on Tuesday set to unveil her top team at the European Commission. But who will get which portfolio? Stay with POLITICO for updates on the big announcement and for instant analysis of what it all means. Read original article here Denial of … Read more
“The name has not yet been decided, but I can tell you that Belgium will be able to submit a name within the deadline,” Georges-Louis Bouchez, the leader of the Reformist Movement (the French-speaking liberal party that’s likely to pick the commissioner), had said on Thursday. But as August ended, that pick had not been … Read more
The deadline for putting forward names for the next European Commission is the end of August. With that date approaching fast, and now that Ursula von der Leyen is back from her summer holiday in Germany, here are the nominees so far (remember that all of them, except for von der Leyen herself, need to … Read more
If approved, Kubilius — a former academic and two-time prime minister who has served as an MEP since 2019 — would have to give up his seat in the European Parliament. Kubilius, a co-author of the European Plan for Ukraine from 2017, is a vocal supporter of Kyiv and has a tough stance on Russia. … Read more
Who wants what? France and Italy are the biggest European powers eying a portfolio that includes one or more of the following: Competition, trade, industry and economic policy, several EU diplomats said, much to the despair of northern, more budget-disciplined EU governments. Ireland and Luxembourg are interested in a financial portfolio, while Spain wants an … Read more
EU leaders have chosen Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission president, three EU diplomats told POLITICO. At a meeting in Brussels, the national leaders also picked Portugal’s António Costa and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas for the most senior positions at the European Council and the EU’s foreign policy service, respectively. … Read more
