Occupation of the EU Commission
Von der Leyen wants Meloni colleagues as vice president
Updated on September 17, 2024Reading time: 3 minutes
Ursula von der Leyen is trying to force the right-wing Italian Raffaele Fitto to become Vice President of the EU Commission. The Italian is considered controversial.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented her new team for the next five years to the European Parliament. With Raffaele Fitto, a politician from the right-wing Italian party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) is to be appointed as one of the vice-presidents of the EU Commission for the first time.
Fitto was previously European Minister in the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and is now set to become Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. This would mean he would be responsible, among other things, for the European Social Fund and a fund for regional development. The post is also intended to better support the poorest regions of the EU.
Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already expressed her satisfaction with the planned appointment of her confidant: “Italy is finally a leading player in Europe again,” said the chairwoman of the right-wing party in Rome. This is an important recognition of the central role of your country in the EU. Meloni added: “Good luck, Raffaele. We are sure that you will do your job very well in the interests of Europe and Italy.”
Fitto's appointment poses political risk for von der Leyen, as the majority of MPs in Parliament must confirm the new commission. In the past, some undesirable candidates have already been rejected. The Italian is considered controversial because he belongs to Meloni's right-wing party. Opposition to the appointment has already been heard in recent days from the Social Democratic, Green and Liberal factions. It is a dangerous shift to the right.
But there are other voices too. In Brussels, Fitto is seen by many as moderate and, above all, pro-European. EPP leader Manfred Weber (CSU) even described him as a “bridge builder”. He told the German Press Agency that he was without a doubt ideally suited to do the job. This Commission must be a Commission that brings Europe together. And that is why he is aggressively campaigning for Italy to be well represented in the Commission.
The EU Commission, with around 32,000 employees, proposes laws for the community of states and monitors compliance with EU law. If von der Leyen has her way, the new commission should start work on November 1st. Whether this can work remains to be seen.
Von der Leyen worked intensively for weeks on putting together her 26-person personnel package. There was a lot of speculation on social media and behind closed doors about who would take on which position.
When making appointments, Von der Leyen also wanted to ensure that there was a similar ratio of men and women in the Commission's leadership team. The new commission now includes 40 percent women and 60 percent men, said von der Leyen. The CDU woman admitted that there is still a lot of work to be done before the equality she strives for is achieved. Numerous heads of state and government did not follow von der Leyen's request to standardize one woman and one man. To compensate, four of von der Leyen's six deputies are female.
This includes the Spanish Teresa Ribera, who will be responsible for “green, fair and competitive change” in the future. With the previous Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, Austria will be responsible for migration.
Meanwhile, Lithuania is expected to fill a newly created position. Former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius is to become the first EU defense commissioner. “He will work to develop the European Defense Union and strengthen our investments and industrial capacities,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Due to the possible re-election of Donald Trump as US President and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU is faced with several security challenges. Work is currently underway to ensure that Europe becomes more militarily independent.
