Von der Leyen on the eve of sharing posts for new commissionors

The European Commission's re-elected president, Ursula von der Leyeen, has more or less completed the candidate list for new members of the European Commission with a five-year mandate and is expected to soon assign the posts, which will exercise if confirmed by the European Parliament.

On August 30th, it has expired informal deadlines, which Von der Leyeen has assigned to member states to propose their candidates.

Only Italy and Belgium have not publicly declared them, while other countries have done so.

According to EU treaties, each member state has the right to have a commissioner. As a result, the European Commission has as many members as there are member states in this case 27.

There have been proposals for the number of commissioners to be reduced, but this has not been accepted by the smaller member states.

The list of the nominees' names shows that the great majority of members of the next Commission will be in those positions for the first time, while only a few who have served on the Commission until then will remain.

In addition to President Ursula von der Leyen, the current commissionors will also remain vice president Dubravka Shuica of Croatia, responsible for democracy and demographics.

As will Marosh Shefchovic of Slovakia, Wopke Hoekstra from the Netherlands, Valdis Dombrovskis from Latvia, Thierry Bretton from France and Oliver Varhely from Hungary.

The latter, most likely, will not be given its own enlargement dictatorship so far, as he is expected to pass any candidate from another country.

The only thing known is that Von der Leyeen will be president of the European Commission, while Kaya Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia, will be the high representative for foreign policy and security, which with automatism also becomes the European Commission's vice president.

Kallas has been staying for a week in Brussels and has met with officials and experts at the EU Foreign Action Service in order to prepare for the hearing and confirmation process in the European Parliament.

According to diplomatic sources, it has been consulted for the Western Balkan region, especially for Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

After consultations with member states, she is expected to decide how to proceed with this dialogue in the future.

For the region Western Balkans It will not only be important for foreign affairs and security commissions, as well as for expansion, since, gradually, its countries are being involved in other joint EU policies.

Energy and home affairs commissionors, as well as those who will be in charge of demographic challenges, youth care, and environmental conservation, are expected to take over the region.

Most EU member states aim for their candidates to have positions related to finance, economy, energy or cohesion policy where the main part of the bloc's common budget goes.

The candidate from Austria is the country's current finance minister, Magnus Brunner. From Ireland, too, is Finance Minister Michael McGrath. Chekhya has nominated Minister of Trade and Industry Joseph Sicela. From Denmark, Minister for Global Climate and Development Co-operation Dans Jergensen has been nominated for the commissionary.

Finland, meanwhile, is expected to send European Parliament MP Henna Virkken to the European Commission. The Eurodeputs will send a few more places. The Eurodeput Andrius Kublius, from Luxembourg, Christophe Hansen, is running from Lithuania, and from Romania Viktor Negrescu.

Greece has run central Macedonia (region in Greece) Apostolas Tszikostas, while Cyprus dean of the Faculty of Health, Costas Kadis.

From Poland, a member of the European Commission has been nominated to Piotr Serafin, who earlier was former European Council President Donald Tusk's cabinet chief.

Maria Luis Albuquerque is a candidate from Portugal, while from Spain she is Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribera.

Sweden sends European Affairs Minister Jessica Roswall to Brussels, while Slovenia is president of the Auditors' Court, Tomze Vesel.

Bulgaria, on the last day, has submitted two proposals -- a woman and a man -- as Von der Leenen has requested. It's Ecatarita Zaharieva and Julian Popovin. But it is almost certain that Von der Leenen will decide for Zaharieva, as candidates are missing.

About two-thirds of European Commission members are expected to be men, and this has already been criticised by the European Parliament and civil society, as it does not ensure balance between genders.

Italy and Belgium are also expected to run two men for members of the European Commission.

From Monday, Von der Leyen is expected to decide on the distribution of the posts.

The full list is expected to present the European Parliament by 11 September, in order to prepare the hearing and confirmation procedures of candidates in relevant parliamentary commissions.

If parliament long confirms all candidates, the newly constituted Commission is expected to begin its mandate on 1 November.

But, so far, it has never happened that Parliament does not reject at least one or two candidates.

In cases of rejection, the candidate country that has not passed makes a new proposal, and the same again moves to the hearing and confirmation procedure. This delays the start of the European Commission's mandate for at least a month, as it must be confirmed as complete. /rel