After Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected as President of the EU Commission on 18 July 2024 on the basis of her political guidelines, the task was to find the candidates for the new EU Commission - with the exception of Kaja Kallas, who was already confirmed as the future EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The right of nomination lies with the member states, whereby the members of the EU Commission are characterised by their general competence, their commitment to Europe and their independence in accordance with the EU Treaty. This is to ensure that the EU Commission can fulfil its central tasks. These include monitoring the application of EU law and drafting legislative proposals.

In order to fulfil these tasks, the President of the European Commission decides on the internal organisation of the Commission and appoints the Vice-Presidents from among the Commissioners. Ursula von der Leyen endeavoured to achieve a gender-balanced EU Commission during her first term of office. This criterion was met in the top body, consisting of the President of the EU Commission and the Executive Vice-Presidents. The direct deputies of the President were Frans Timmermans (European Green Deal, replaced by Maroš Šefčovič in August 2023), Margrethe Vestager (Europe for the Digital Age) and Valdis Dombrovskis (Economy for People). Overall, there has also been gender parity since August 2020, when Irish Commissioner Mairead McGuinness replaced Phil Hogan.

Unbalanced gender ratio
According to the proposals of the member states, this ratio is approaching that of the previous legislative periods under José Manuel Barroso and Jean-Claude Juncker. Only Bulgaria has honoured von der Leyen's wish to nominate both a woman and a man. By the deadline of 30 August, seven women had been nominated (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Portugal, Sweden and Spain), with two more (Belgium and Romania) added at the beginning of this week. And another ratio is shifting significantly: due to the increased weight of the European People's Party (EPP) at Council level, a clear majority of candidates can be attributed to von der Leyen's own party family (see below).

The President of the EU Commission is now holding individual talks with all the candidates, and in the middle of next week she would like to present the entire College with the respective roles and the distribution of portfolios. It will become clear in a week's time whether those member states that favour women will have a head start. So far, there are only rumours about the future structure. According to these rumours, von der Leyen could increase the number of executive vice presidents to 5 or 6 in her next term of office and, in return, dispense with the other vice presidents. And she will probably pay particular attention to striking a balance between the European parties when appointing the executive vice presidents. The Italian candidate Raffale Fitto is expected to be the first representative of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR).

What will the EU Parliament pay attention to?
Unlike in the past, the President of the EU Commission must inform the EU Parliament not only about the allocation of responsibilities (portfolios), but also about the planned structure and gender balance. It remains to be seen how MEPs will assess the proposed candidates. The candidates can only be finally sworn in after a detailed examination by the EU Parliament. In addition to their professional suitability, the candidates' personal finances and potential conflicts of interest will also be scrutinised. The hearings in the relevant committees of the EU Parliament were supposed to begin in September, but are likely to be delayed. The EU Parliament will only be able to vote on the entire College once all Commissioner-designates have been confirmed by the relevant committees. If individual candidates do not pass, there will be further delays. As things stand today, the new EU Commission is expected to take office on 1 December.

The candidates

Belgium: Hadja Lahbib (Foreign Minister, ALDE)
Bulgaria: Ekaterina Zakharieva (former Foreign Minister, EPP) and Julian Popov (former Environment Minister)
Denmark: Dan Jørgensen (Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, PES)
Estonia: Kaja Kallas (designated EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, ALDE)
Finland: Henna Virkkunen (MEP, EPP)
France: Thierry Breton (EU Commissioner for Internal Market)
Greece: Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas (former President of the European Committee of the Regions, EPP)
Ireland: Michael McGrath (Minister of Finance, ALDE)
Italy: Raffaele Fitto (Minister for European Affairs, ECR)
Croatia: Dubravka Šuica (EU Commissioner for Democracy and Demography)
Latvia: Valdis Dombrovskis (EU Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade)
Lithuania: Andrius Kubilius (MEP, EPP)
Luxembourg: Christophe Hansen (former MEP, EPP)
Malta: Glenn Micallef (former Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, PES)
Netherlands: Wopke Hoekstra (EU Commissioner for Climate Action, EPP)
Austria: Magnus Brunner (Minister of Finance, EPP)
Poland: Piotr Serafin (EU Ambassador, EPP)
Portugal: Maria Luísa Albuquerque (former Minister of Finance, EPP)
Romania: Roxana Mînzatu (MEP, PES)
Sweden: Jessika Roswall (Minister for Europe, EPP)
Slovakia: Maroš Šefčovič (Vice-President of the EU Commission)
Slovenia: Tomaž Vesel (former President of the Court of Audit)
Spain: Teresa Ribera (Minister for Ecological Transition, PES)
Czech Republic: Jozef Síkela (Minister of Industry, EPP)
Hungary: Olivér Várhelyi (EU Commissioner for Enlargement)
Cyprus: Costas Kadis (former Minister, Professor of Biodiversity)

Further information
EU Parliament: Timeline to new EU institutional leadership
EU Parliament: European Commission. Facts and Figures
AK Infobrief EU & International: Who sets the tone in Brussels? (German only)
Euractiv: Challenge for von der Leyen: Choosing the new EU Commissioners
POLITICO: The full lineup for the new EU Commission
POLITICO: Ursula von der Leyen's second term from hell
POLITICO: European Parliament's scheduling fiasco risks delaying commissioner hearings