Europe towards the future: new appointments and challenges for von der Leyen’s Commission
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected in July for another five-year term, announced on Tuesday the list of 26 commissioners she will propose to the European Parliament. Including herself, there will be 27 commissioners: 11 women and 16 men. For Italy, the appointment is Raffaele Fitto as Vice-President with responsibility for cohesion funds and reforms under the NextGenerationEU plan: a designation that seems consistent with the requests made by Rome. As planned, the team presented reflects the internal balance of the political outcome of the June elections: representatives from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) have secured the most portfolios. The Commission’s head described the new college of commissioners as a “leaner” and “more interconnected” structure, focused on the fundamental principles of the Union: “prosperity, security, and democracy”.
According to the Financial Times, the President has decided to entrust the most sensitive portfolios related to growth to Spain, Italy, and France, “countries that have called for greater common spending, more flexible budget deficit rules, and a more prominent role for industrial policy”. Thus, they appear united by the need to integrate resources and production to strengthen European competitiveness against the United States and China – a recommendation also made by Mario Draghi last week.
The list of portfolios in the new EU executive also includes three new roles: a European Commissioner for Defense and Security, assigned to Lithuania; a commissioner for the Mediterranean, assigned to Croatia; and one for Housing and Energy, assigned to Denmark. Three “signals” emerge about Europe in the coming years from this list. Firstly, it will clearly be a Commission driven by the EPP; secondly, support for Ukraine will remain strong; thirdly, much of the economy (industry, competition, cohesion, financial services) will be “managed” by Southern Europe, including France, but the reins of the budget are assigned to the Polish Commissioner, who will report directly to the President of the Commission. In any case, von der Leyen’s announcement is only the beginning: in the coming weeks, the candidate commissioners will undergo hearings in the European Parliament, similar to exams on their competence in their respective areas and political positions. After the hearings, scheduled between November and December, the Parliament will vote as a whole on the Commission proposed by von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke at the annual General Assembly of Confindustria, the main organization representing industries and service companies in Italy. She emphasized the reasons for harmony with the audience and its president, Emanuele Orsini, and focused on the Green Deal. “I agree with Orsini, and I thank him for being very clear about the disastrous results of the European Green Deal’s ideological approach: decarbonization at the cost of deindustrialization is a debacle”. Meloni then highlighted how the GDP growth rate forecast for 2024 is double the EU average, crediting this achievement to the companies themselves, which must now focus on increasing productivity.
At the same time, another event is attracting national and international attention in Naples: the G7 Culture, inaugurated on Thursday by the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, marking his debut in his new role. Among the themes of the debate are relations with emerging economies, particularly those in Africa, and the importance of culture as a foundation of identity and a driver of sustainable development. Also central to the summit are the protection of cultural heritage in conflict areas, the link between culture and artificial intelligence, and the impact of climate change on cultural heritage. The G7 Culture in Naples represents a unique opportunity to strengthen international dialogue on these issues, reaffirming once again how the Neapolitan city, with its rich historical and artistic heritage, symbolizes a focal point for global debate.
