Von der Leyen gives biggest European Commission jobs to France, Spain and Italy

The biggest jobs at the top of the next European Commission were handed out to France, Spain and Italy, as commission president Ursula von der Leyen sought to keep all of the EU capitals happy.

Eleven of the 27 commissioners, including Dr von der Leyen, are women, making up 40 per cent of the team, who will lead the EU’s executive arm for the next five years. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, she said initially it seemed as though only a fifth of nominees would be women, which she said was “completely unacceptable”.

The German politician had asked each EU country to nominate two names, with at least one being a woman, to allow her put together a gender balanced team of commissioners, however nearly all capitals sent just one name.

Dr von der Leyen, who as president counts as Germany’s commissioner, said she was involved in “intensive weeks of negotiations” with governments, to try to increase the number of women put forward.

Stéphane Séjourné, who dramatically replaced Thierry Breton as France’s nominee at the last minute this week, was given a senior position overseeing industrial strategy in the next commission. Teresa Ribera, the Spanish nominee, is to oversee the climate transition, along with the powerful competition enforcement job.

Raffaele Fitto, who comes from Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government, secured a senior position covering regional development policy. Maroš Šefčovič, the long-time Slovakian commissioner, took the trade portfolio. One of the other big finance jobs, commissioner for the economy, went to Valdis Dombrovskis, a Latvian politician in his third term in Brussels.

The Government had lobbied for Michael McGrath to get a prominent economic portfolio, however he was assigned commissioner for justice.

Poland’s nominee Piotr Serafin was given the brief overseeing the EU budget, while Dan Jørgensen, from Denmark, is to be the commissioner for energy and housing. The commissioner for financial services job, currently held by Mairead McGuinness, is to pass to Maria Luís Albuquerque from Portugal.

All the commissioners must now be approved by MEPs in European Parliament hearings in the coming weeks, before they can take up their positions.

The appointment of Italy’s nominee, Mr Fitto, as one of six “executive vice-presidents” in the commission, drew criticism on Tuesday.

Terry Reintke, co-leader of the Greens grouping, said its MEPs, who supported Dr von der Leyen’s reappointment as commission president, were concerned at the senior role given to Italy. The German MEP said there was a “danger” that the centre of power in the EU was moving further to the right. The parliament hearings could allow for the composition of the commission and Mr Fitto’s position to be changed, she said.