Another obstacle to the installation of a new European Commission has been cleared now that the 27 EU governments have agreed that the Von der Leyen Commission can start without a British commissioner. The member states approve the legal procedures initiated by Brussels against the refusal of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The European Parliament will vote on Wednesday on the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. This decision comes after the 26 commissioners she selected successfully passed the written and oral hearings in the parliament.
The fact that the United Kingdom has not nominated a candidate for the new European Commission is no longer an obstacle for a majority in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It is expected that the college, led by Ursula von der Leyen, can start on December 1.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker resumed work on Monday after his aneurysm operation. The 64-year-old Juncker underwent surgery on November 12 to treat an aneurysm, a vascular condition in his back. Over the past week, the European Commission was led by the First Vice-President, the Dutchman Frans Timmermans.
Juncker was normally supposed to hand over the presidency of the European Commission to Ursula von der Leyen at the end of last month, but the start of her new Commission was delayed due to the rejection of three candidate euro-commissioners. Those candidates have now been replaced.