As the European Parliament hearings of the Commissioners-designate approach, we take stock of the priorities of the next European Commission and the people chosen to deliver them.
It is imperative that the new Commissioners receive a clear mandate to deliver on their priorities, and that the structure put in place provides a clear division of responsibilities. The risk of overlap between different portfolios could hinder smooth coordination and create political tensions.
Central to the Commission priorities must be to safeguard democracy and to protect our fundamental values and human rights, defend media freedom, and enforce the rule of law, including by strengthening the Article 7 Mechanism.
To that end, we call for reversing the decision not to appoint a dedicated Commissioner for Equality. Equality is one of the core values of our Union and it should not be divided and diluted between two different portfolios, consequently diluting the Commission’s effectiveness in this crucial area.
In a similar vein, the absence of a dedicated Commissioner for Social Affairs risks watering down the emphasis that the EU needs to place on the protection of social rights and the effort to tackle inequality and promote social protections.
Equally important is the implementation of reforms that will confer to the EU the necessary competences which will enable it to deliver solutions to the challenges that our Union faces. We are therefore concerned that institutional reform is not mentioned in any of the mission letters. To that end, we call upon the Commission to put forward, in close cooperation with the European Parliament and the Council, an ambitious institutional and policy reform agenda as elaborated in the Political Guidelines of President Ursula von der Leyen. The challenges we face, not least the need to welcome new Member States, require a root-and-branch rethink of how our Union works.
Democracy and our fundamental rights and values must be at the front and centre of the Commission’s priorities, and promoted, strengthened and upheld across the European Union.
You can find our set of recommendations to the European Commission HERE.