The British government will wait until after the parliamentary elections on December 12 before possibly nominating a British EU commissioner to Brussels. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently urged British Prime Minister Johnson to send a commissioner to Brussels by this week at the latest, but he is holding off.
British diplomats said Johnson wrote to Von der Leyen stating he would not name a candidate before December 12, but the letter does not state that he will do so after December 12. Apparently, Johnson wants to wait for the election results to see if his Conservative Party secures a majority in the House of Commons. If so, he likely hopes to push through his Brexit plans by the end of January.
Comments from Belgian liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt suggest that the European Parliament will not automatically approve a Brexit agreement. Verhofstadt chairs a working group of the European Parliament involved in the London-Brussels negotiations, which have now lasted three years.
Verhofstadt said yesterday that the European Parliament also wants clarity in such a treaty about the status of Europeans in the UK and Britons in EU countries. Apparently, this has not yet been resolved to the satisfaction of MEPs.
Von der Leyen wants to start with her team of new EU commissioners on December 1. As long as the United Kingdom remains an EU member, the treaties require it to provide a commissioner. EU leaders already pointed this out in their decision to grant the UK an extension for Brexit until January 31.
Von der Leyen has not yet publicly responded to Johnson’s refusal. It is not expected that she will postpone her start date of December 1. She initially planned to start on November 1, but that was already delayed due to Brexit issues. Lawyers have pointed out two options: the new European Commission can start with 27 commissioners, temporarily leaving the British seat vacant, and make a final decision after the Brexit extension ends on February 1.
Von der Leyen could also ask the current British EU commissioner, Julian King, to stay on for a few more months. This would require informal approval from the heads of government and from the parliamentary groups in the European Parliament. They would likely cooperate, as they also feel “Boris has already pressed the brake enough in Brussels,” as an official remarked off the record.
Staff members of the European Commission also reassuringly note that during the formation of previous commissions, some candidates did not receive the European Parliament’s support and had to be replaced.