Occupation of the EU Commission
Von der Leyen wants right-wing Italian as vice president
Updated on September 17, 2024Reading time: 2 minutes
Ursula von der Leyen is trying to impose Giorgia Meloni's party colleague Raffaele Fitto as executive vice president of the EU Commission. But in the end it's not her who decides.
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. This was announced by the responsible President Ursula von der Leyen in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg. Fitto was previously European Minister in the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and is now to become Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. This would mean, among other things, the European Social Fund and a fund for responsible for regional development. The position is also intended to provide better support for the poorest regions of the EU.
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. The 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 personnel package. There was a lot of speculation on social media and behind closed doors about who would take on what 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 goal has probably been missed. It currently looks as if the upcoming commission will include more men than women, as numerous heads of state and government did not follow von der Leyen's request to standardize one woman and one man.
