After tough negotiations, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was finally able to present her designated College in mid-September. Although she came closer to her stated goal of gender parity, she did not fully achieve it on the final stretch. In addition to the president herself, there are now ten women facing 16 men, with the European People's Party (EPP) being disproportionately represented. Von der Leyen is apparently trying to balance out both the male and EPP overhangs through the group of now six Executive Vice-Presidents. There is only one EPP candidate in this group, with two men and four women. Equally important, however, is the allocation of the directorates-general to the commissioners, as this essentially determines the influence that the individual commissioners can actually exert. It remains to be seen whether von der Leyen's proposal will satisfy the EU parliamentary groups.

The approval of the EU Parliament is now crucial. Each commissioner-designate must appear before the relevant committees of the EU Parliament and seek their approval before the EU Commission as a whole can be approved by the plenary. It remains to be seen whether all candidates will pass this substantive test. Raffaele Fitto, the candidate of Giorgia Meloni's post-fascist Fratelli d'Italia (ECR), is particularly controversial. Hungary's Olivér Várhelyi, current Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, also has to worry about his place in the future EU Commission. However, he may be given a free pass for fear of attempts at delay by Viktor Orbán and because his responsibility for health and animal welfare is not considered central. The parliamentary groups now need to take a close look at the candidates and prepare their questions for the hearings. Civil society and lobbyists are drawing attention to what they consider to be important issues.

Social issues come up short
The elephant in the room is what is not mentioned in the portfolio titles: employment and social rights. For decades, these policy areas have been an integral part of the College of the EU Commission. Now, for the first time, they are no longer mentioned as portfolio of a commissioner. Ursula von der Leyen has assigned the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) to the designated Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu under the heading People, Skills and Preparedness. Even though the so-called Mission Letter for the Social Democrat from Romania talks about quality jobs and social dialogue, it remains to be seen how much substance can be given to the social agenda. Furthermore, equality is no longer a portfolio on its own; instead, the Commissioner-designate for Preparedness and Crisis Management, the former Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (ALDE), has also been assigned equality. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has strongly criticised these changes and called on von der Leyen to introduce the title “Quality Jobs and Social Rights”, bring back the  equality portfolio and weave social issues horizontally into all portfolios. These steps would be of great importance, especially in times of growing inequality.

However, it is encouraging that the designated Energy Commissioner, the Danish Social Democrat Dan Jørgensen, will for the first time also have the topic of (affordable and sustainable) housing in his portfolio. The fact that the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) will in future be headed by the Executive Vice-President for a Just Transition, Spain’s Teresa Ribera (S&D), has also been well received. As a climate champion and pioneer of the just transition, Ribera enjoys a high level of trust among relevant civil society actors. With the extensive portfolio of Executive Vice-President, she now holds one of the most powerful positions within the new College. There are therefore high hopes that she will become an important voice for social concerns in the new Commission.

The Clean Industrial Trio
The European Green Deal is entering the next phase, with the focus shifting to the Clean Industrial Deal. This once again highlights the trend towards industrial policy and competitiveness, as also outlined in the Draghi Report. Three commissioners will be responsible for implementing it. In addition to Teresa Ribera, the Commissioner-designate for Industry, Stéphane Séjourné (Renaissance) from France, and Wopke Hoekstra (EPP) from the Netherlands, who is to retain the climate portfolio, are to drive it forward. Among other things, a new European Competitiveness Fund is to be set up under Séjourné "to ensure that we invest in the innovation and technologies that will shape our economy and drive our transitions". The demands of the trade unions remain in place. There is a need for social conditionality and a holistic understanding of Just Transition that goes beyond Ribera's portfolio. She is dependent on the active cooperation of her colleagues. It remains to be seen how the trio will work together in practice. Hoekstra's political biography is certainly characterised by conflicts of interest.

Is everything on track?
It is undisputed that the railway must play a significant role in the upcoming mobility transition, both in freight and long-distance passenger transport. In view of this urgency, the nomination of the Greek Apostolos Tzitzikostas (EPP) for the post of Commissioner for Sustainable Transport & Tourism has caused some consternation. His Mission Letter mentions important rail projects, an industrial action plan for the automotive sector and a new port strategy. There are doubts about the level of ambition with which he will approach the trans-European rail projects. In an open letter, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) also criticises the fact that precarious working conditions in the transport sector will apparently not be given a prominent place on the agenda in the coming mandate either.

The direction in which Tzitzikostas's Directorate-General (DG MOVE) will develop will also be determined by the parliamentary hearings and, ultimately, the work programme. The same applies to the other Commissioners-designate, who will have to familiarise themselves intensively with topics that are in some cases completely new, such as Magnus Brunner (EPP). He is no longer to deal with Austrian finances in the future, but with the politically sensitive European migration agenda.

Further information
AK EUROPA: EU Commission von der Leyen II. The candidates have been nominated, the hearings will follow soon
AK EUROPA: The Draghi Report. Competitiveness at the centre of EU policy
AK EUROPA: Political Guidelines for the next EU Commission 2024 - 2029. The right answers to current challenges?
EU Parliament: European Parliament hearings with Commissioners-designate to start on 4 November
EUobserver: Why, for the first time ever, no EU social affairs commissioner?
ETUC: Mistake to scrap jobs commissioner amid jobs crisis
Corporate Europe Observatory: Revolving doors and far-right ties
EEB: Commissioner who?!