EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is set to lead the new European Commission in two weeks, is urging European politicians to hurry, now that 3 of the 26 members of her team have been rejected by the European Parliament. She fears serious delays as apparently another French commissioner must be sought at the last minute.
The Frenchwoman Sylvie Goulard failed to secure the support of a majority in the European Parliament. After a round of written preparation and two oral hearings, the Christian Democratic EPP and the Social Democratic S&D groups abstained from voting, only the liberal Renew voted in favor, and the Greens, United Left, and the conservative ECR voted against.
Most groups point to the legal investigation still underway in France against the former minister for possible fraud involving EU subsidies as the main reason. Some critics in the Brussels corridors say it is also a form of retaliation against French President Macron, who earlier this year ignored and bypassed the European Parliament when he refused to include 'spitzenkandidaten' in the new EU Commission.
In an initial reaction, French President Macron accused Von der Leyen of failing to garner enough support for his candidate and of assuring him that the three major groups would back Goulard. The three group leaders immediately denied being consulted by VDL, publicly calling Macron a liar.
Liberal Sylvie Goulard was slated to take the post of Internal Market, Defense Industry, and Space, but France must now find another candidate. Although in theory President Macron can still hold on to his nomination, the tone of his press conference clearly indicates he is willing to drop Goulard, provided France is assigned the influential portfolios of Competition, Defense Industry, and Space.
France, Romania, and Hungary must now present candidates who can secure the approval of the European Parliament, which according to schedule will vote on the entire team on October 23. VVD MEP Liesje Schreinemacher finds it “particularly disappointing” that Goulard did not make it. According to her, the former minister demonstrated the right abilities during the hearings, but did not receive support for other reasons.
Most parties that voted against, including the CDA, pointed to Goulard’s lack of integrity, partly due to secondary income from an American think tank. According to Kim van Sparrentak (GreenLeft), Goulard was “not convincing on substance and showed no sign of insight on ethical issues. The European Commission must be an example in terms of ethics and integrity.”
Ursula von der Leyen already met yesterday afternoon with the leaders of the three largest groups and the Parliament President. If the November 1 deadline is not met, the Commission of Jean-Claude Juncker will have to continue running the daily EU administration for a while longer.