Agriculture in European Commission Goes to Christian Democrat

The party leaders have agreed that the new Agriculture Commissioner should come from the ranks of the Christian Democratic EPP. This only applies if the German Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen is reappointed Commission President. However, that does not mean she will necessarily accept.

It is the usual procedure that the heads of government of the 27 EU countries propose candidates for the Commission, and that the European Parliament approves them. This will take place over the coming months but starts next week with a vote in the European Parliament on von der Leyen’s reappointment.

The power center in Brussels has been formed in recent years by Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, and Liberals. Even after the recent European elections, they still hold a majority, but that majority has diminished due to the gains of right-wing parties. Partly for this reason, the three 'traditional' groups are now consulting with the ECR Conservatives and the Greens. In the past parliamentary term, those two groups were also assigned their 'own' Commissioner posts, with Environment going to the Greens and Agriculture to the Conservatives.

After the farmers' protests early this year, Commission President von der Leyen initiated a 'strategic dialogue' to adjust parts of agricultural policy. She believes that “the micromanagement of programs in the Common Agricultural Policy needs to be reduced, as part of measures to cut administrative burdens for farmers by at least a quarter.” In those months, the EPP also deliberately positioned itself as the 'farmers’ party.'

The current Agriculture portfolio is still held by the Pole Janusz Wojciechowski, from the conservative ECR group. In exchange for that ‘loss,’ the Conservatives will receive the chairmanship of 'Agricom,' the influential parliamentary agriculture committee currently chaired by the German Christian Democrat Norbert Lins. 

Over the past year, the EPP Christian Democrats have campaigned within the EU against further climate and environmental regulations in agriculture. As a result, the Green Deal goals have particularly become the target of their opposition. The EPP faction also wanted to keep the role of the ENVI environment committee as much as possible outside the AGRI agriculture portfolio. Consideration was given to placing responsibilities in the areas of Health and Food Safety in a separate, new committee. So far, this has been blocked by opposition from the Liberals and Greens.