The new President of the European Commission wants Prime Minister Boris Johnson to nominate a British candidate for the European Commission by the end of this week at the latest. Ursula von der Leyen has sent Johnson a second official letter on this matter. A spokesperson in Brussels declined to speculate on what will happen if the British do not cooperate in time.
In her second letter, Von der Leyen points out that the British themselves requested a longer delay for Brexit, and as a result, the United Kingdom is still a member of the European Union and must therefore also nominate a new commissioner for the new Commission. The British press reported yesterday that the Prime Minister will comply with the law. Earlier this year, Johnson had said he would categorically refuse to send a new British commissioner to Brussels.
Von der Leyen would like to officially start with her new EU Commission on December 1. This is already a month later than originally planned. But the European Parliament rejected three candidate commissioners, requiring replacements to be sought, which was the cause of the initial delay.
These three new candidates (from France, Romania, and Hungary) will be heard by the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday. If all goes well, the new Commission could be formally installed at the European Parliament’s plenary session at the end of November in Strasbourg and begin work on December 1.
If the British Prime Minister puts forward a British EU commissioner later this week, the European Parliament will have to question and assess him/her in an extraordinary hearing next week. In theory, Johnson could also propose to keep the current British Commissioner Julian King in office for a while longer.
So far, Johnson is holding back. He foresees that naming a candidate—who would serve on the Commission until Brexit becomes a fact—would provide ammunition for his political opponents. They would interpret it as proof that he does not want to take the United Kingdom out of the EU. Johnson does not want this on the eve of the national elections (December 12).
British diplomats in Brussels have suggested in recent days that Johnson might only put forward a candidate after the elections. In that case, the new Commission could start at the earliest in February, three months later than intended. Von der Leyen finds this unacceptable and is therefore increasing pressure on London.
Meanwhile, lawyers in Brussels have investigated what must be done if Johnson does not put forward a candidate. It appears that every EU country has the right to a candidate, but it is not an obligation. It is also concluded that the new Commission can start with 27 Commissioners.