All posts tagged Frans Timmermans

27
Jan

New priorities, new approaches, new structures: what does Juncker’s team have in store in 2015?

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Berlaymont
One year of institutional change ends; another year of political and policy change begins: on 16 December 2014, the new European Commission agreed its Work Programme for 2015.

The new programme, like the new Commission, aims to break with the past and introduce a new (and more political) way of working. Instead of a long list of actions for years ahead, this plan focuses only on the next twelve months, seeking to ‘clear the decks’ of moribund proposals.

What changes will we see to Europe’s political and policy environment in 2015, and how are the Commission’s working methods adjusting to ‘deliver’ the proposals set out in the Work Programme?

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31
Oct

Europe Decides Weekly – 31 October

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This is the last Europe Decides Weekly.

We would like to thank you for reading and invite you to continue to follow Europe Decides via the website, and on Twitter (@europedecides).

Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 31 October 2014

Top stories: 25-31 October 2014

  • New Commission prepares to take over with smaller private offices and new spokesperson service: The new European Commission, under its President, Jean-Claude Juncker, takes office on Saturday. Under structural changes, the spokesperson’s service will have around 15 members, while commissioners will be expected to have more direct interaction with the media. Commissioners will no longer have spokespeople but communications officers, and they will also have smaller private officers of just six members (with vice-presidents having seven cabinet members and Frans Timmermans, the First Vice-President, eight). European Voice; Europolitics
  • Changes to Council voting rules about to be phased in: New decision-making rules in the Council of the European Union will take effect on 1 November. The rules, introduced in the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, will alter the balance of voting power between member states, attaching greater importance to the population size of countries. A qualified majority will now have to consist of at least 55% of the member states with votes representing 65% of the EU population. A blocking minority will have to comprise at least four member states. The current rules can still be applied, at the request of a member state, until 2017. European Voice
  • Brussels warns David Cameron over €2.1bn bill payment: The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said that the UK Treasury will not pay an extra €2.1bn contribution to the EU’s budget on 1 December, saying that he will challenge the decision “in every possible way”. Criteria to calculate member state contributions to the EU budget are based on countries’ economic performances and have been recently modified. The European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget, Jacek Dominik, said that British representatives did not raise “any concern” during the negotiations to set up the new calculation method, and that the Commission was simply applying the agreed formula. Financial Times; European Voice; EurActiv; BBC News

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24
Oct

Europe Decides Weekly – 24 October

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 24 October 2014

Top stories: 18-24 October 2014

  • B0stLolIYAA1gZxJuncker Commission approved after last-minute portfolio changes: The European Parliament has approved the new European Commission by 423 votes to 209. Speaking to the assembly before the vote, Jean-Claude Juncker, who will assume the Commission presidency on 1 November, stated that his college represented the “last chance” to restore citizens’ trust. Following the hearings, Juncker slightly reshuffled the distribution of portfolios. Among the changes, sustainable development policies were added to Frans Timmermans’ portfolio as Socialist MEPs were concerned about climate policy coming under the responsibility of Miguel Arias Cañete. The Commission was formally appointed by the European Council on Thursday. EurActiv; European Parliament; European Voice; EurActiv; EurActiv; European Voice; EU Reporter; European Voice; Europe Decides Twitter; Europolitics
  • Polish MEP saves Farage’s group: Robert Iwaszkiewicz, an MEP from Poland’s Congress of the New Right party, has joined the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group, saving it from being disbanded. The Group, led by Nigel Farage, faced collapse following the withdrawal of a Latvian deputy. Iwaszkiewicz’s arrival caused a stir in the European Parliament, as KNP leader Janusz Korwin-Mikke, a deputy for less than four months, has already been suspended by the institution for using racist language, and Iwaszkiewicz himself had made remarks about hitting women. Iwaszkiewicz said he joined the group to oppose to EU bureaucracy and support the free market. EUObserver; EurActiv; EFDD; Europolitics; Yahoo News; European Voice
  • Barroso bows out before MEPs: On 21 October José Manuel Barroso made a valedictory address as European Commission President. During his speech in the European Parliament he highlighted his greatest achievements and memories, including collecting the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union. Critics say that his Commission was too fixed on austerity, failed to create economic growth and jobs, and saw a weakening of the institution. EUObserver

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10
Oct

Europe Decides Weekly – 10 October

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 10 October 2014

Top stories: 4-10 October 2014

  • Bratušek steps aside after MEPs reject her nomination: Alenka Bratušek, the Slovenian nominee for the post of European Commission’s Vice-President for Energy Union, has resigned her candidacy. The former Slovenian prime minister was rejected by members of the European Parliament’s Environment and Industry committees by 112 votes to 13 after a widely-criticised performance in her hearing. Commission President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker is now likely to have to reshuffle his team, with Violeta Bulc, Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister, put forward on Friday as the Slovenian nominee. Juncker will meet Bulc next week before deciding whether to submit her candidacy, and that of the other commissioners-designate, for another vote by the Council. Tanja Fajon, an MEP in the Socialists & Democrats Group, had been the preferred candidate of centre-left and centre-right MEPs. EurActiv; European Voice; EUObserver; Economic Times; Europolitics; Financial Times; New Europe
  • Arias Cañete and Navracsics have wings clipped as other nominees survive vote: Aside from Alenka Bratušek, all other commissioners-designate have been backed by members of the European Parliament’s committees. Two candidates would see their powers limited under plans backed by MEPs: Miguel Arias Cañete, the controversial Spanish centre-right nominee for the Climate Action and Energy portfolio, was endorsed by MEPs, including those from the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) Group, but would be under the supervision of Frans Timmermans, the nominated First Vice-President, who would add sustainable development to his list of responsibilities. Tibor Navracsics, the Hungarian nominee who, like Arias Cañete, is a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), was approved as a commissioner but MEPs voted to strip him of responsibility for citizenship. It is possible that Navracsics may move from the education and culture job as a whole as part of a reshuffle following Bratušek’s rejection. For a number of other candidates – including Pierre Moscovici, Jyrki Katainen and Valdis Dombrovskis, the EPP and S&D Groups put aside their misgivings about political opponents and voted to approve the commissioners-designate in their positions, leaving smaller groups – notably the Greens – complaining about ‘backroom deals’ to approve candidates they saw as sub-standard or unsuited to their roles. EurActiv; Europolitics; EUObserver; S&D Group
  • Hill glides through second hearing: The only commissioner-designate to be called back for a second hearing, the UK’s Jonathan Hill, gave an assured and optimistic performance before MEPs on the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee. His candidacy was approved after the hearing. Hill, like Navracsics, Moscovici, and the Czech Republic’s Verá Jourová, had to answer further questions from MEPs in writing after failing to impress MEPs in their initial hearings. All were subsequently voted through by MEPs. European Voice; Europolitics; EurActiv

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27
Sep

Who will be the social media champion of #TeamJunckerEU?

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Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission team faces questions from Members of the European Parliament next week – but they already being probed on Twitter.

So how well are the commissioners-designate prepared to engage online – and who will be the social media king or queen of the new Commission?

Download our PDF infographic of the new European Commission on Twitter

There are more commissioners-designate on Twitter than serving commissioners – which is no surprise. Despite the fact that the Juncker team has more senior national experience than José Manuel Barroso’s team, they have fewer followers on average (19,000 in Juncker’s team as opposed to 26,500 in Barroso’s). However, their accounts should quickly gain followers – if they survive the hearings.

Pierre Moscovici, a former French finance minister, Commissioner-designate for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, and a relatively early adopter of Twitter, has the largest following – just over 109,000. (Barroso is the most-followed Twitter user in the current team, with 121,000 followers.) Read more

14
Sep

Europe Decides Weekly – 12 September

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 12 September 2014

Top stories: 6-12 September 2014

  • Commission portfolios revealed, VPs to lead teams: The President-elect of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has revealed the new structure and portfolio assignments for his College. Juncker will be supported by seven vice presidents, five of whom will be responsible for guiding and coordinating smaller teams of commissioners within their broad policy fields. Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister, will be First Vice President and Juncker’s ‘right-hand man’. Commissioners will need the support of a VP to bring an initiative to the agenda of the Commission, with Timmermans having a powerful role filtering initiatives to assess whether they are necessary. Within their policy area, vice presidents may decide which commissioner represents the Commission towards other institutions. Several portfolios have been broken apart or merged. The commissioners-designate face hearings in the European Parliament from 29 September, with the vote on the College as a whole scheduled for the Parliament’s 20-23 October plenary session. European Voice; Europolitics; EurActiv; European Commission
  • Hill among nominees expecting challenge as Juncker appointments raise eyebrows: Jonathan Hill, the British nominee, was given the financial stability portfolio – a key issue for Britain. His decision is seen as a conciliatory gesture to David Cameron, but Glenis Willmott, leader of the group of British Labour MEPs, questioned the appointment, saying that Hill “cannot be Commissioner just for the City of London”. Other countries’ nominees were also given portfolios reflecting national priorities, such as France’s Pierre Moscovici (economic affairs), Greece’s Dimitris Avramopoulos (migration), and Romania’s Corina Creţu (Regional Policy). Spain’s Miguel Arias Cañete, who was appointed to the climate and energy portfolio, is likely to be questioned over his views on man-made climate change and links to oil companies, while Slovenia’s Alenka Bratušek (Vice President for the Energy Union), Malta’s Karmenu Vella (environment and fisheries) and Hungary’s Tibor Navracsics (education and culture) will face intense questioning. European Voice; Greens/EFA; eureporter
  • Kopacz takes reins in Poland: Poland’s ruling coalition has agreed to put forward Ewa Kopacz, the Speaker of the Parliament and a former health minister, to replace Donald Tusk as Prime Minister. The country’s current Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, is likely to become the new speaker of the Polish Parliament. New Europe; EUObserver

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05
Sep

Europe Decides Weekly – 5 September

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 5 September 2014

Top stories: 30 August to 5 September 2014

  • Tusk and Mogherini appointed to EU’s top jobs: The European Council made two senior appointments at a summit on Saturday, electing Poland’s Prime Minster, Donald Tusk, as the next President of the European Council, and appointing Italy’s Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, as Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Tusk received the unanimous backing of his fellow leaders while Mogherini was backed by all except the Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, who abstained. European Voice; EurActiv; Inet Post; EUObserver; New York Times; New Europe; SBS; Polskie Radio; wn.com; Newzulu; Bloomberg
  • Juncker names Commission team: Jean-Claude Juncker has interviewed all nominees for positions in the European Commission as he continues to prepare his College. The final list of nominees, which comprises 14 members of the European People’s Party (including Juncker), eight from the Party of European Socialists, five Liberals and a Conservative, must be agreed by the Council. Juncker will then announce the distribution of portfolios and the way he intends to organise the work of the next European Commission. This announcement is expected early next week. All candidates will then go through hearings in the European Parliament, before a final vote on the entire Commission. EurActiv; EUObserver; New Europe
  • Juncker meets Parliament’s gender balance target: Jean-Claude Juncker’s list of nominees for the Commission includes nine women – the same number as were appointed to the Barroso II Commission in 2010. Four of the women come from the Liberals, with three from the EPP and two Socialists. The Socialists, Greens and Liberals in the European Parliament had threatened to veto the College unless the gender balance matched that of the current team, although it falls short of the ‘ten or more’ women demanded by the current female commissioners. Two countries switched nominees this week from men to women: Romania named Corina Crețu, a Social Democrat and vice-president of the European Parliament, to replace Dacian Cioloș, while Poland nominated Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, to replace Radosław Sikorski, the Foreign Minister, after he failed in his bid to be made High Representative. New Europe; EurActiv; Europe Decides Twitter

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25
Aug

A five-point guide to the EU top jobs puzzle

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This weekend, the European Council will meet again to decide on the holders of the EU’s top jobs.

Here’s our five-point guide to Saturday’s meeting and what it means – and have your say on one of the key issues of the summer by voting in our poll.

1. Time for action

hvr squareAfter the failure to agree on the top jobs at the last summit in July, European Union leaders are under pressure to reach an accord. The European Council is increasingly gaining a reputation as an institution that takes too long to decide anything, and whose decisions are often ‘fudges’.

Saturday is the crunch moment: if EU leaders fail to conclude a ‘package’ of appointments, it will put paid to any remote hopes of appointing the Commission on time. More importantly in the long term, it will increase popular and global perceptions of the EU as a sclerotic organisation. Herman Van Rompuy (pictured left), the President of the European Council, was criticised by EU leaders and many analysts for not preparing a watertight deal before July’s summit (although he was not helped by some prime ministers). The President will not want another failure.

The decisions are not easy: there are significant political, institutional and personal headaches for the 28 leaders. But the leaders are there to lead, and to decide. It’s time to act. Read more

01
Apr

50 days to go, 50 things to know about Europe’s year of change

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The countdown continues: at 08:00 CET on Wednesday 2 April, there are exactly 50 days to go to the opening of the polls for the European Parliament elections.

Here is our overview of where we stand and what you need to know about Europe’s year of change:

Top jobs | Country-by-country | PollWatch 2014 | The elections and beyond | Reading list

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