Henna Virkkunen as commissioner – An agreement was reached on the appointment of all commissioners

The agreement reached on Wednesday on the composition of the new commission was made as a package solution, which includes the approval of six vice-presidents and the Hungarian commissioner candidate.

With the agreement, the Hungarian commissioner candidate From Oliver Varhély the health crisis care responsibility and sexual and reproductive rights issues were removed from the health commissioner’s portfolio. They were given by the Belgian Commissioner Hadja Lahbibille.

The condition for the agreement was the declaration of cooperation signed by the middle groups of the parliament, EPP, S&D and Renew, in which they promise to do legislative cooperation on issues related to sustainable growth, immigration, investments and the digital revolution, as well as to jointly strengthen the European Union.

Especially for the Democrats (S&D), the continuation of the cooperation of pro-European middle groups has been a threshold issue. Recently, they have been annoyed when the center-right EPP has started to fraternize more and more with the far and extreme right

Rush to work

Finding an agreement was driven by pressure and the hope that the new commission would be able to start its work as quickly as possible, because Europe is at war and the EU should be able to prepare for Trump’s second presidential term.

According to Kauppalehti, the leaders of the EU countries and the chairman of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen pushed the parliamentary group leaders to find an agreement.

The agreement reached now means that also the Finnish candidate Henna Virkkunen (kok) appointment as commissioner was confirmed.

Virkkus will be the vice-chairman and digital commissioner of the new commission, responsible for technology, security and democracy.

The background of the dispute

The appointment of the commissioners reached an impasse last Tuesday, when the largest group in the parliament, the center-right EPP, began to oppose the Spanish commissioner candidate, the Socialists Teresa Riberaa. He was first wanted to answer before the Spanish Parliament on the management of the devastating floods, before the EPP agreed to accept him.

The democrats in the parliament, on the other hand, opposed the fact that the Italian commissioner candidate Raffaele Fitto would receive the portfolio of the vice-president of the Commission. Fitto represents Giorgia Melonin the far-right Italian Brothers party.

The left also wanted to reduce the powers of the Hungarian commissioner Várhely, because he represents the pro-Russian prime minister Victor Orbánin conservative Fidesz party.

The new commission will be officially approved next Wednesday in the plenary session of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

It would mean that the new commission could start its work right at the beginning of December.

Story updated at 20:14. with the addition of legislative cooperation.