EU countries name their candidate European Commissioners
With Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission due to take office in November 2014, the 28 EU member countries are in the process of nominating their European Commissioners, who will face confirmation hearings in the European Parliament in September.
So far 22 countries have confirmed their candidate Commissioners, while other countries are working with shortlists of varying length. Sofiaglobe.com will update this list as further confirmations are made by EU countries.
In alphabetical order:
Austria has named Johannes Hahn (56), a centre-right politician who has been Regional Policy Commissioner since November 2009. In 2014, he twice acted as Justice Commissioner while Viviane Reding was on electoral campaign leave. EU-level bargaining is expected to see Hahn move to a different portfolio.
Belgium: Pending.
Bulgaria: Pending, but Kristalina Georgieva (60), Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, is widely expected to emerge as the Bulgarian candidate for the Juncker commission, and has support among several member states to be the next EU foreign policy chief.
Croatia has named Neven Mimica (60) to continue as a European Commissioner. When Croatia joined the EU, Mimica was given the consumer protection portfolio. A social democrat, Mimica previously was Croatia’s deputy prime minister in charge of domestic, foreign and European policy.
Cyprus: Pending.
Czech Republic has named its regional development minister Věra Jourová (49), a deputy head of the centrist ANO party, as its candidate European Commissioner. Prague is said to be seeking the regional development portfolio for Jourová but also could settle for inter-institutional relations, transport and industry.
Denmark: Pending.
Estonia has nominated Andrus Ansip (57), prime minister from 2005 to 2014 and head of the liberal Estonian Reform Party from 2004 to 2014. Trained as a chemist, Ansip was elected to the Estonian parliament in 2004, rising rapidly to become economy minister and then prime minister.
Finland’s former prime minister Jyrki Katainen (42) currently is serving out the remainder of Olli Rehn’s term until October 2014 as European Commission for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the euro. Katainen headed the National Coalition Party from 2004 and was prime minister of Finland from 2011 to June 2014.
France has nominated former finance minister Pierre Moscovici. Moscovici was Francois Hollande’s campaign manager in the 2012 presidential election before becoming finance minister. Moscovici was axed from the cabinet in an April reshuffle in response to Hollande’s approval ratings plummeting, mainly over economic issues.
Germany: Günther Oettinger, European Energy Commissioner since February 2010 and a Commission vice-president since July 1 2014, will again be a member of the EC. Oettinger (61) of the centre-right CDU, was minister-president of Baden-Württemberg from 2005 to 2010, having started his political career as a town councillor in Ditzingen in 1980. He studied law and economics in Tübingen.
Greece has nominated Dimitris Avramopoulos, vice president of the centre-right New Democracy party, in a deal with socialist Pasok. Avramopoulos is a former foreign minister who was defence minister at the time of his nomination to the European Commission.
Hungary: Foreign minister Tibor Navracsics (48) of the ruling Fidesz party. A lawyer and political scientist, Navracsics has been minister of foreign affairs and trade since June 2014, having been minister of public administration and justice from May 2010.
Ireland named Phil Hogan (54), environment, community and local government minister since March 2011. The Fine Gael politician was first elected to the Irish parliament in 1989.
Italy: Foreign minister Federica Mogherini (41) has been officially nominated by Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi for High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Mogherini has held several positions in the centre-left Democratic Party’s foreign relations office and has served as an MP since 2008.
Latvia has nominated Valdis Dombrovskis (42), who was prime minister of Latvia from 2009 to 2014. Finance minister of Latvia from 2002 to 2004, Dombrovskis was an MEP for the New Era Party.
Lithuania has named health minister Vytenis Andriukaitis (62). A surgeon, Andriukaitis was an active participant in the anti-Soviet underground from the late 1960s and from 1976 participated in underground social democratic activities.
Luxembourg: Commission President-elect Juncker is from Luxembourg.
Malta nominated socialist Karmenu Vella (64). A member of Malta’s parliament since 1976, he was re-elected nine consecutive times. Vella’s career in Malta includes having been public works minister (1981), industry minister (1984), and tourism minister, from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2013 to 2014.
Netherlands: Pending.
Poland has nominated Radoslaw Sikorski (51) for High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Sikorski was first elected to the Polish parliament in 2005, when he was also appointed defense minister. He has served as Poland’s foreign minister since 2007.
Portugal: Pending.
Romania has decided that current Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș will again be Bucharest’s nominee. Cioloș (45), European Agriculture Commissioner since February 2010, was Romania’s agriculture minister from October 2007 to December 2008.
Slovakia has nominated Maroš Šefčovič (32), currently European Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration, to again be a member of the Commission. The social democrat was a career diplomat before his appointment to the Commission.
Slovenia: Pending.
Spain: Miguel Arias Cañete (64) was nominated by centre-right People’s Party. Cañete was agriculture minister prior to standing in the European Parliament elections in May 2014. He was first elected to Spanish parliament in 1982 and has served as an MEP between 1986 and 1999.
Sweden: Cecilia Malmström (46), a member of the European Commission since February 2010. Malmström is Home Affairs Commissioner in the current EC. She was Sweden’s European Affairs Minister from 2006 to 2010. A member of the Liberal People’s Party, Malmström previously was an MEP, from 1999.
United Kingdom. The nominee is life peer Lord Hill of Oareford, a former public relations executive who worked for John Major in the 1990s, including as political secretary during negotiations in the Maastricht Treaty. UK prime minister David Cameron hopes that the UK will get the internal market portfolio, though this is seen as unlikely, and the country may get the trade portfolio instead.
