On Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen discussed the structure and portfolios of the proposed new College of Commissioners with leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups. This includes 26 commissioners—one from each EU country—plus von der Leyen herself, representing Germany. The diverse group will be responsible for implementing her vision over the next five years. 

The European Commission plays a central role in the EU, overseeing tasks like drafting the annual budget, proposing new laws, and ensuring they are implemented. Each Commissioner is responsible for specific policy areas, known as portfolios, and manages part of the Commission’s staff, which are organised into departments called Directorates-General (DGs). 

Discussions before the presentation focused on improving gender balance, as the initial list of candidates from Member States lacked sufficient female representation. The final proposal improved this, with women making up 40% of the College. In terms of political distribution, the appointments reflect von der Leyen’s coalition in Parliament. The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) holds the presidency and one executive vice-presidency (Virkunnen). The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) secured two executive vice-presidencies for Teresa Ribera and Roxana Mînzatu. The liberal Renew Europe group also holds two positions: Kaja Kallas as High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and Stéphane Séjourné for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. Additionally, Raffaele Fitto from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) was appointed Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms. 

What’s new?  

There has been a significant reshuffling of portfolios compared to the previous Commission. There will be six Vice-Presidents. The most strategic portfolio seems to belong to Spaniard Teresa Ribeira. She has been nominated for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, which merges competitiveness with the green transition. Most of the foreseen initiatives focus on competition, including the reform of State Aid rules, which will include fostering housing support measures, and a Clean Industrial Deal.  

As announced by Von der Leyen in her speech in July, housing is a new priority for EU action. Responsibility for housing will be shared among different portfolios, with the Danish Dan Jørgensen, in charge of Energy and Housing, taking the lead. His department will oversee actions related to energy transition and the new European Affordable Housing Plan. This will include a Strategy for Housing Construction, an investment platform, and cohesion policy investments, in collaboration with Vice-President Fitto, responsible for Cohesion and Reforms. 

The Jobs and Social Rights portfolio falls under the Vice-President for People, Skills and Preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu from Romania. Although her title no longer explicitly includes “rights”, her agenda aligns with the work of the current Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit. Regarding employment and social inclusion, she will be in charge of the new Action Plan for the Pillar of Social Rights, a Quality Jobs Roadmap, a new pact for European Social Dialogue, an EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, a framework to address long-term care workforce challenges, including skills and career progression, the Child Guarantee, and the European Social Fund Plus. Along with this, her portfolio will include a large chunk of the work currently being done by the DG on Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. Mînzatu will be tasked with creating a Union of Skills which includes the European Education Area, a European Strategy for Vocational Education and Training, and the Pact for Skills.  

The equality portfolio has been downgraded from its directorate-general to a sub-portfolio under Belgian Commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, who also oversees Preparedness and Crisis Management. This portfolio covers civil and military defence mechanisms whilst ensuring the full implementation of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities along with new strategies for anti-racism, gender and LGBTIQ, and Roma equality. The decision to reduce the prominence of the equality portfolio was criticised by the European Disability Forum, which immediately published a statement calling to restore the position of Commissioner for Equality as a standalone portfolio. 

Next steps 

The European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents will now organise confirmation hearings where each Commissioner-designate will appear before the relevant Parliament Committee(s). Parliament will evaluate the nominees based on their general competence, European commitment, personal independence, and knowledge of their portfolio, as well as their communication skills. 

These hearings often lead to the rejection of one or more candidates, with speculation already circulating about potential replacements. After successful hearings, von der Leyen will present the full College of Commissioners and their programme to Parliament’s plenary, followed by a debate and a vote to confirm or reject the Commission as a whole.