• Paolo Gentiloni in Brussels meets Ursula von der Leyen. "Climate of great friendship"
  • Gentiloni indicated by the Government as European Commissioner

Share

09 September 2019Paolo Gentiloni will be the next person in charge of the European Commission's economic and monetary affairs, except for last-minute twists. It is learned in Brussels.

The elected president Ursula von der Leyen will in fact reveal the attributions of the portfolios at noon tomorrow, until then there may be some changes.

Candidates commissioners
Center of gravity shifted to the left and (almost) perfect gender equality. The team of the new European Commission that Ursula von der Leyen will announce tomorrow, turns a little redder, with the Socialists collecting 10 commissioners against the 8 of the current Juncker executive, while the Popular ones fall to 9 from the current 14 and the liberals remain 5. But also of rose, with 13 women in office and 14 men, including the same von der Leyen, who from the beginning had indicated the parity 'man-woman as one of the priorities of his team.

The list of portfolios, a secret jealously guarded by the transition team of the former German minister until the last moment, should be complete: von der Leyen spoke about it at lunch with the current tenant of the Berlaymont building, Jean Claude Juncker in an ideal passage of deliveries before the change of formal guard scheduled for November 1st.

The new college will be unveiled only tomorrow at noon, but on the Italian side the economic affairs solution for Paolo Gentiloni is considered possible, although in the morning the drafts of an old short-list that attributed to Italy the delegation to Industry and Internal Market. Unless last-minute surprises, Gentiloni should sit in the chair of an arbitrator of European accounts occupied today by Pierre Moscovici.

According to some sources, the attribution to the former head of the Italian government of such a heavy portfolio could lead to the renunciation on the Italian side of the vice presidency of the EU executive, which instead seemed to have been acquired in a first phase of negotiation. The 'loss' of the vice-presidency, however, is not considered a big problem, given that the two real executive and 'political' vice presidents will be attributed to the Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans who should deal with the Clima package and the Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager, who instead will have in charge of the digital file. According to the rumors of the vigil, the French company Silvie Goulard will be assigned the internal market portfolio that could be extended to the defense industry, while to the Irishman Phil Hogan, the Commerce would go. He delegated the latter strongly from the beginning in Dublin, considering that after Brexit he will be the own successor of Cecilia Malmstroem to manage future commercial agreements between Brussels and London. The Budget Commissioner could be the Austrian Johannes Han, who today owns the neighborhood and enlargement policies that could end up with the Hungarian Laszlo Trocsaniy. The Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, currently commissioner for the euro, would be confirmed in an economic role also to balance the 'Gentiloni effect', while conflicting versions circulate on the delegation to immigration.

According to some sources, the commissioner who will manage the migrant issue and the possible Dublin reform will not be an expression of a country directly involved. Therefore, as well as obviously Italy or Spain, which together with Josep Borrell expresses the next high representative for foreign policy, the next commissioner for the Interior and Immigration should not be either Greek, Cypriot or Maltese.