EU Commission: Von der Leyen proposes right-wing Italian as Executive Vice President - bad news for animal welfare
Today, Ursula von der Leyen presented her EU Commissioner designates and their respective portfolios. Six of the 26 EU Commissioners will take on a central role as “Executive Vice-Presidents” of the EU Commission. These include Stephane Sejourné (France, Liberals, responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy) and Teresa Ribeira (Spain, Social Democrats, competition and transition) as well as Raffaele Fitto from the Italian far-right governing party Fratelli d’Italia. The rule of law portfolio will in future be held by the Irish Christian-Democrat Michael McGrath and the Finnish Christian-Democrat Henna Virkkunen. Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin (Poland, Christian-Democrat) will be responsible for the rule of law mechanism.
The controversial Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi (far right PfE group) will in future be responsible for health and animal welfare in the EU – instead of enlargement.
Von der Leyen’s Commissioner designates will now enter the phase of the hearings in the European Parliament where MEPs will check their professional suitability.
Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens, comments:
“The appointment of Italian EU Commissioner Raffaele Fitto will show how von der Leyen will deal with the far right in the coming years. Italy is the third largest member state and naturally deserves a prominent place in the EU Commission. However, Fitto must not be the gateway for far-right positions in the EU Commission. And he must also not pave the way for cooperation with the ECR Group in the European Parliament.”
“There are signs that Von der Leyen does not want to provide any new impetus in the EU Commission when it comes to the rule of law. However, we will not be able to deal with the threats to European democracy by simply continuing with business as usual. Von der Leyen and the responsible Commissioners from Poland, Finland and Ireland will have to show that they will confront Orban and co. much more decisively than they have in the past. That means fewer concerned letters and more financial sanctions for those who break the rule of law.”
The portfolios of the designated EU Commissioners at a glance:
Von der Leyen and the responsible Commissioners from Poland, Finland and Ireland will have to show that they will confront Orban and co. much more decisively than they have in the past.