Sylvie Goulard will become European Commissioner for the Internal Market, announced Tuesday, September 9 the European executive in a statement. A broad portfolio that encompasses industrial policy, the digital single market, as well as the defense and space industry, announced the new Commission President, the German Ursula von der Leyen.
"As Commissioner for the Internal Market, she will lead our action in the field of industrial policy and advance the digital single market," says the Commission. "She will also be responsible for the new Directorate General of the Defense and Space Industry."
The appointment of the ephemeral French Minister of Defense in 2017 will have to be validated by the European Parliament. She is suspected of being involved in the fictitious job case of MEP's assistants MoDem, a centrist party she has since left.
The new European executive will take office on November 1st.
Dutch Social Democrat Frans Timmermans is the next EU climate commissioner, a key project for Ursula von der Leyen's team, who has reinstated Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager to the competition.
These two heavyweights of the European Commission, who have the title of executive vice-presidents, are former contenders for the presidency of this institution.
Ursula von der Leyen has promised a "green pact" in which the "first European climate legislation" will be included, in order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, which for the moment only 24 Member States on 28 engaged. It also supports a more ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030, or even 55%.
The Danish Margrethe Vestager retains the crucial Commissioner for Competition and "will coordinate our entire program for a Europe adapted to the digital era".
The current Irish Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan will take over the trade portfolio and will, among other things, be responsible for managing the EU's future economic relations with the UK after Brexit.
Italy Paolo Gentiloni will be in charge of the portfolio of the economy at a time when the euro zone is struggling with weak growth and the risk of a recession in Germany.
With AFP and Reuters