Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEARINGS: LET THE POWER GAMES BEGIN After von der Leyen’s proposal for a new Commission in September, the Parliament has started preparing for the hearings of the future Commissioners, expected to take place from 4 to 12 November in Brussels. The timetable for the three hour hearings was confirmed this week: the portfolio-related written questions will be submitted to the candidates by 10 October, with answers due by 22 October. This will allow MEPs to thoroughly scrutinize the Commissioners' qualifications, and best prepare their questions for the oral exam. The hearings will be a key political moment for the new Parliament, as it will be one of the few moments where MEPs can influence the Commission’s policy agenda of…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs.  GERMANY PUTS DEMANDS ON THE COMMISSION AMID CHAOS AT HOME One would think that German politicians would be too busy with domestic issues to make demands at EU level, given that the extreme-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) for the first time won the regional elections in Thuringia. Yet, the German coalition government made an effort to express discontent when German Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen nominated Italian far-right minister Raffaele Fitto as one of six future European Commission Executive Vice Presidents. At the same time, the German government saw no problem in joining Italy’s for a revision of the CO2 reduction targets for cars, and in requesting a six-month delay of the EU Deforestation regulation.  While Chancellor Scholz’s Sozialdemokratische Partei…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. NEW COLLEGE OF COMMISSIONERS PREPARES FOR THE GRILL A week later than planned, European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented her team and their respective portfolios. Von der Leyen designated six Executive Vice-Presidents, four women and two men, potentially to reduce criticism on the lack of gender balance in the full college. The six Vice-President also seem to be more balanced than the overall college in terms of party affiliations, with two Socialists and Democrats, two liberals, one EPP and one European Conservatives and Reformists Vice-President. Due to changes in titles and roles, confusions and questions are bound to arise on the practical arrangements for certain Commissioners-designate. How will Belgium’s Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner-designate for Preparedness and Crisis Management and Equality,…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. DRAGHI'S MEGA-INVESTMENT PLAN TALK OF THE TOWN IN BRUSSELS Mario Draghi’s €800 billion investment plan, unveiled this Monday, has set off a storm of reactions across Europe. The former ECB chief is advocating for a hefty annual boost—equivalent to 4.4-4.7% of EU GDP—to tackle decarbonisation, digitalisation and defence. His aim: to help Europe catch up with other global heavyweights like China and the US. With no surprises, the centre-right side of the political spectrum has been quite satisfied with the report, praising it for its concrete pathways for solutions. Green advocates, on the other hand, raise serious concerns amid the already environmentally unfriendly political atmosphere. CAN Europe criticised the report for neglecting crucial elements and being too heavily focused on industrial…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. VDL ASSEMBLES HER NEW GENDER-IMBALANCED COLLEGE Not everyone relaxed during the annual summer break. Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission, has been busy asking Member States to put forward their candidates so she could assemble the European equivalent of Avengers – the College of Commissioners. Based on the proposed contenders, the incoming Commission is likely to be heavily EPP-  (>10 candidates) and men-biased (17 male Commissioners). The gender imbalance in particular may pose a problematic aspect as under their internal rules, MEPs are required to consider this in their scrutiny process. The Parliament votes on the College as a whole, after grilling each Commissioner-designate in a hearing organised by one or two relevant committees. The timeline for the…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. PARLIAMENT CHOOSES LEADERS FOR FIRST HALF OF THE MANDATE This week’s first plenary of 10th European Parliament revolved around organisational matters, ensuring that the European House of Democracy runs smoothly. Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) was re-appointed as President, for a second stint of 2,5 years. She will surround herself with three Vice-Presidents from her own party, five from Socialists and Democrats (S&D), two from Renew and two from European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), and one each from the Greens and the Left. Neither of the newly formed far-right parties, Patriots for Europe (PfE) nor Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), were able to grab the senior positions. However, the “cordon sanitaire” clearly no longer applies to ECR, with 2 Vice-Presidents. New MEPs…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. PARLIAMENT POLITICAL GROUPS PRESENT THEIR WISH LISTS FOR VDL 2.0 Major Parliament groups including the centre-right EPP, the liberal Renew, the left S&D, and even the Greens are discussing their priorities in exchange for supporting the Commission President-designate Ursula von der Leyen, who needs a support of at least 361 MEPs to be re-elected. Despite extreme heat in the south and unusual heavy rain in western Europe, the fight against climate change is no longer as high a priority for the Parliamentary groups as it was in 2019. While S&D, Renew, and the Greens do not want to backtrack on the Green Deal, they all have changed their view on what its continuation should look like. The S&D wants to keep…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EPP WANTS TO HALT EU SUSTAINABILITY RULES TO IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS The centre right EPP Group, which emerged as the largest parliamentary political group in the last elections, held its party convention in Portugal this week. The meeting allowed for strategic discussions on the new EU term, and for EPP members to agree on a set of proposals for the next Commission’s work programme. A leaked draft of the EPP’s “5-point plan for a strong Europe” places competitiveness at the heart of the EPP’s agenda and proposes that two thirds of the EU budget should be dedicated to it. Building upon Ursula von der Leyen’s 2023 commitment to reduce the reporting obligations of companies, the draft work plan also suggests to “halt…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. HUNGARY PREPARES FOR PRESIDENCY AMID CONCERNS OVER NATIONALIST AGENDA As we are moving towards the end of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will wrap up on 30 June, Hungary is getting ready to take over. Although the rotating presidency of the Council is meant to position the presiding Member State as an honest broker, there are doubts in Brussels on whether Hungary will be able to ignore its national interests and not push for its populist and nationalist agenda. While Hungarian representatives have repeated that they would not deviate from customary practices, certain signs point at a different story – particularly last week’s reveal of the Presidency’s official slogan: “Make Europe Great Again”, which makes…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU LEADERS STRUGGLE TO FINALISE POST-ELECTION TOP JOB APPOINTMENTS Following the EU elections of 6-9 June, which resulted in an overall shift to the right, EU leaders met for an informal Council meeting on 18 June to agree on the appointment of EU top jobs for the next five years. A consensus had seemed to emerge ahead of the meeting, with EPP figures Ursula von der Leyen (Germany) and Roberta Metsola (Malta) expected to remain at the head of the Commission and Parliament, S&D’s António Costa (Portugal) likely to take the Presidency of the Council, and Renew’s Kaja Kallas envisioned to become EU’s diplomacy head. Yet no agreement was sealed on Monday, and discussions were shelved at least until next week.…