New EU Commission Takes Office—Focus and Priorities

On Wednesday 27 November, the European Parliament formally approved the new European Commission (Commission), led by Ursula von der Leyen, for her second term. A total of 370 out of 720 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the Commission team. This marks the lowest-ever level of support for a new Commission in Parliament, highlighting the increasingly polarized and complex political environment within the European Union.

The vote followed a series of parliamentary confirmation hearings, during which European Parliament members of various committees scrutinized individual commissioner candidates. While no candidates were rejected for the very first time, this was achieved only after intense behind-the-scenes negotiations and trade-offs aimed at avoiding a political stalemate.

The new key relevant commissioners to implement these priorities will include, among others:

• Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Spain)—Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
• Henna Virkkunen (Finland)—Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
• Stéphane Séjourné (France)—Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
• Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia)—Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency
• Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia)—Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification
• Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands)—Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
• Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal)—Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union
• Dan Jørgensen (Denmark)—Commissioner for Energy and Housing
• Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania)—Commissioner for Defence and Space

The European People’s Party (EPP), the political group representing the EU’s center-right conservative parties, will hold 14 portfolios in the new Commission. Along with right-leaning commissioners from Italy and Hungary, this will constitute the most right-wing European Commission to date. Consequently, and as a follow-up to the Draghi and Letta reports, the incoming Commission is expected to place a strong emphasis on economic competitiveness, regulatory simplification, particularly the reduction of bureaucratic red tape for businesses, and security.

These priorities were also reflected in the speech delivered by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the European Parliament plenary following the final confirmation vote, during which she emphasized the new priorities. At the heart of her agenda lies a competitiveness compass, a forthcoming framework built on the recommendations of the Draghi report, which sets recommendations for Europe’s economic and strategic future. This initiative will be based on three main pillars: closing the innovation gap with global competitors, advancing a plan for decarbonization and competitiveness, and reinforcing economic security by reducing dependencies.

The new Commission will aim to implement Draghi’s recommendations to address systemic weaknesses and invest in transformative change by doubling down on research and innovation, fostering a single market to boost growth across Member States, cutting regulatory barriers allowing companies to scale, and aligning decarbonization goals with the competitiveness agenda, namely through the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal. Vice-President Ribera and Commissioner Séjourné are due to drive the latter initiative, which sits at the core of the European Union’s attempts to strengthen its industrial base. Commissioner Dombrovskis, in the meantime, will play a critical role in identifying and simplifying the maze of EU regulatory requirements for companies e.g. reducing overlaps and streamlining the corporate sustainability, supply chain, and climate disclosure requirements. 

Please reach out if you have any questions about the new Commission and its policy priorities.