Each country gets a commissioner, but it is up to von der Leyen to decide who gets the coveted portfolios, such as competition, industrial policy, trade and enlargement. Portfolios dealing with multilingualism, demography or foresight are less sought-after. Von der Leyen also gets to choose what those portfolios are. She wants to have a defence commissioner this time, a new role, as well as portfolios covering housing, fisheries and “ensuring intergenerational equity”.
By promising important posts, von der Leyen can push EU leaders to put forward two names or at least come up with an alternative if she doesn’t like the first choice.
After running the commission for five years, von der Leyen and her team are keen to bring in experienced and motivated politicians. She doesn’t want to have politicians at the end of their careers or troublemakers who national governments could send to Brussels. She also wants the structure of the next commission to be simplified by moving from three tiers (executive vice-presidents, vice-presidents and commissioners) to two.
But no one can be certain what will happen in the next five years. No one expected Cypriot Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides or Estonian Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson to play a significant role until the pandemic struck and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to an energy crisis. So von der Leyen wants a star-studded team from the start.
The downside? High net worth individuals want huge investment portfolios, and not everyone can afford them.
“Everyone wants an executive vice-president or vice-president, and everyone wants an economic portfolio,” said one senior EU diplomat. “Good luck to the 13th floor for that,” the diplomat added, referring to the top floor of the Berlaymont building, the commission’s headquarters, where von der Leyen lives and works while in Brussels.
