Grade A-. A summit on platform workers was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Worst moments: He promised a permanent EU-wide safety net for the jobless would be delivered by the end of this year, but this has disappeared from the Commission’s to-do list — substituted by the SURE program, which is loans-based and temporary. Dubravka Šuica Vice president for democracy and demography. Worst moments: Even before he took up his post, Schinas found himself in hot water over the original job title. Grade C. Best moments: Vestager was at the front of the EU’s drive to revive the pandemic-stricken economy, as her team swiftly relaxed aid rules to allow countries to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Worst moments: Even before “golfgate,” Hogan was a weakened figure, having bungled his bid for the world’s top trade job at the World Trade Organization. His golden hour came in brokering a crisis aid package for the wine sector, which MEPs threatened to block until he personally intervened. Moving the goalposts has cheered Paris but strained regulatory relations with unpredictable results for finance. In June, he put forward a proposal to strengthen the EU’s crisis management system, in part in response to what happened with Italy. In September, Schinas also played a leading role in presenting the Commission’s long-awaited Migration Pact, a plan meant to end years of division among EU member countries. Best moments: Don’t underestimate the achievement in the Commission setting its eyes on a 55 percent cut to EU emissions by 2030, a goal that would have been politically unimaginable even one year ago. Grade B-. Best moments: Dombrovskis managed to get all EU countries in line to back one candidate in the race for the World Trade Organization’s top job, helping to convince a group of Eastern European and Baltic nations to rally behind the Nigerian nominee Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. How the Commission handles rule-of-law disputes with Hungary, Poland and possibly Bulgaria will be key as well. He succeeded in casting himself as Europe’s last man standing against Big Tech, after an internal Google lobbying document showed the company was trying to “increase pushback” against him. Latest news, analysis and comment on migration in Europe and beyond. Feeling let down by the Commission, the creative industries turned to Parliament with their push for more coronavirus-crisis support. Grade C. Best moments: The Commission came up with a new methodology on how to handle the accession process for countries that want to join the EU, overcoming objections from France and allowing Albania and North Macedonia to get the green light to start membership talks. She also opened probes into Apple and Amazon, returning to what she does best: headline-grabbing cases targeting Big Tech. That’s when he’ll have to introduce an EU digital tax if global talks stall again and find consensus between Northern and Southern Europe on reforming the bloc’s debt and deficit rules. Appearing often in screenshots of Zoom events and calls with interest groups on Twitter, the Bulgarian commissioner managed to deliver a major new research strategy to zero fanfare. The young Lithuanian launched a slew of ambitious plans to improve the bloc’s track record on environmental protection, chemicals and the circular economy, landing him overall applause from green campaigners. Worst moments: Aside from the first weeks when the pandemic broke, exposing many EU weaknesses, another low point for Lenarčič came after the U.S. election. Before all that, Timmermans will be hoping for an elusive deal on the higher climate goals at this December’s Council summit. The new Commission's priorities were sketched out in von der Leyen's political guidelines, presented On Brexit, his corner of the Commission stretched at least the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement after both sides pledged to assess each other’s financial rulebooks, with a view to recognizing the “equivalence” of their standards. Performance review: Timmermans doubled down on the Green Deal even as the pandemic put Europe’s political and economic agenda in a headlock. Grade B-. Performance review: Transport commissioners aren’t usually thrust to the forefront of continental crises, but Vălean blossomed in the face of the coronavirus — cutting a central figure in efforts to loosen the flow of traffic across borders and get people with canceled trips their money back. Here's POLITICO's guide to Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission. Performance review: Šefčovič managed to avoid being known only as the man with the crystal ball (aka foresight commissioner) by adding a more practical role leading EU talks with the U.K. on implementing the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, in which he did a passable job. Her mother, Heidi-Adele Albrecht, had a university doctorate and actively encouraged academic success. The Commission immediately suspended rules on national budgets and debt, reassuring governments (and markets) they could spend whatever it takes. Initiatives to improve working conditions for gig economy workers have been missing, despite the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating their precarious situation. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on the continent. What comes next: We’ll see what Gentiloni is made of in 2021. She will also have to oversee the implementation of the European Democracy Action Plan, her upcoming strategy that will set the path for legislation on political advertising, measures against disinformation online and efforts to foster media pluralism. In the family, she has been known since childhood as Röschen, a diminutive of Rose. Copy link. h�b```f``jg`a`�tgf@ a�+sl ��>t�d0��0�n�P`�e�R`��8�����,�8���APG)��]�����o�i@�p����*�������& ��A��!-�������� @qe�?Y@��E�n� :���k Evelyn Regner, chair of the European Parliament’s gender and women’s rights committee, did not mince her words after Dalli’s press conference. Hungary. Schinas has said repeatedly that Europe cannot fail twice on migration, following the crisis of 2015-16. The von der Leyen Commission took office on 1 December 2019, a month later than expected and after a long . Ursula von der Leyen (Germany), president. Best moment: Šefčovič’s big battery gambit — a project he started during the last mandate but has held on to — started paying off this year. Performance review: 2020 was always going to be a big year for health, with the Commission scheduled to drop its pharmaceutical strategy and a cancer plan. Campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the U.K. What’s driving the day in Paris, en français, The weekly digest of the best stories in U.K. politics. What comes next: Avoiding that a third wave of the pandemic turns into another nightmare. Video footage shows von der Leyen, the European Commission's first female president, forced to sit on a nearby sofa. But on November 27th the parliament nodded through Ms von der Leyen’s commission by 461 votes to 157. Address. Best moments: When she presented the long-awaited and much-postponed Migration Pact at the end of September. Worst moments: In Libya, a global arms embargo pushed by Germany and the EU is widely seen as unenforced. In a speech on Wednesday, the former EU Brexit negotiator appeared to make a veiled swipe at Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. hޤTo�6���g�! The President represents the Commission in European Council meetings, G7 and G20 summits, summits with non-EU countries and major debates in the European Parliament and the Council. But perhaps the worst moment was when the European Parliament gave Borrell a dressing down over the handling of a report on disinformation by China. What does the new buzzword “open strategic autonomy” really mean? Worst moments: Von der Leyen grabbed the limelight for the 55 percent announcement, and despite Timmermans’ goading of politicians and olive branches to coal miners, the target has still not been agreed to by EU leaders. Since 26 fresh-faced commissioners and one president took office on December 1 last year, even the Commission’s youngest members have been aged by the coronavirus pandemic. Von der Leyen is a perfectly adequate Commission president and before the Article 16 mistake she had not made any major errors. What comes next: Trying to get “Team Europe” fully on board with the gender action plan. He’s also cooking up a new HR strategy to make the Commission a more attractive employer. Worst moments: The gender equality strategy she issued in March mainly repeated existing legislative plans that are blocked in the Council. Von der Leyen's spokesman said afterwards that Turkey had breached protocol by failing to offer her a chair, as it has done to other male commission presidents in the … Grade B. close. Nicolas Schmit Commissioner for jobs and social rights. Share page. By logging in, you confirm acceptance of our POLITICO Privacy Policy. While von der Leyen’s “shield” line went down well in Greece, it didn’t go down so well with socialists and some EU diplomats, who argued it reinforced the idea that refugees and migrants posed a threat. It didn’t pan out but shows the Belgian has plenty of political credit to spend in coming years. 766 0 obj <>stream Performance review: Hogan had the biggest fall from grace. Best moments: The early days of the coronavirus crisis, when he took a leadership role to coordinate the industry response to shortages in medical supplies. Várhelyi was personally involved in crafting the new plan, although there is some dispute among Commission officials and diplomats over how much credit he deserves. Other countries that also struggle to deal with migration were jealous that Greece got such a swift and strong display of solidarity from Brussels and Schinas got credit for masterminding it. But that was strongly resisted as a knee-jerk reaction. Grade B+. Best moments: Without question, von der Leyen’s signature moment came before dawn on July 21 when EU national leaders reached unanimous agreement on the budget-and-recovery package. She’ll kick off the year with a flagship cancer plan, but probably more importantly she will be at the helm when the world starts to get the first batches of coronavirus vaccines — a real-life test of her “solidarity” and “coordination” talk. �N���R�� j,�f/a��X�϶NP� ���1�C���&�p#����l@f00�� im�� ����#��U�� ��8� Performance review: Diligent and unremarkable. She also gets props for staying visible online during the dark springtime months: the plucky Estonian frequently tweeted about the virtual meetings she held with everyone who’s anyone in the energy world. Best moments: Kyriakides proved Brussels can be a steady and efficient hand in making health decisions. Latest news, analysis and comment on security in Europe and beyond. She will also be closely involved in the REACT-EU program, the part of the recovery fund that covers similar terrain to regular cohesion cash but is meant to be particularly linked to bouncing back from the coronavirus crisis. “One graphic is worth one thousand negotiating hours,” Feirreira wrote. In a little-registered video address to a conference in Polish Silesia, Timmermans outlined the family connection to the coal industry that shaped his motivations. Performance review: The newest member of the Commission, McGuinness breezed through her nomination process to become financial services commissioner in October. All of this allows the former Commission chief spokesman to display his communication skills and his eye for a media opportunity: After a meeting with religious leaders in November, he reassured children that Santa Claus will be able to cross borders to bring them gifts despite the coronavirus. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on French politics. What comes next: The fate of the scheme to link EU payouts to the rule of law will go a long way to determining Jourová’s legacy. If confirmed by … Poland announcing its withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, the first legally binding instrument on preventing and combating violence against women, was another low point. Phil HoganResigned as commissioner for trade. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a joint news conference with EU Council President Charles Michel after … “It’s very possible to apologize for such a situation,” Reynders told reporters — stopping short of, well, apologizing. {�D�P�'͖4A�&ݲ�A�t�E�T�n�~�)%ð�0�I�w�ޑG�� Ai"I*�6"�(�1E��+�U�VS�"�Kc��+J�h�b�Q6�d��h�`e>�t�z�#N�. Best moments: Jourová hasn’t pulled her rhetorical punches. Šefčovič helped get EU approval for €3.2 billion in state aid, and there’s more to come. The new year and the changing coronavirus dynamics should create space for her own personal touch. Worst moments: Vălean failed to dispel persistent criticism from green NGOs at what they see as an unwillingness to address the climate impacts of transport, for instance by moving forward with a tax on aviation fuel, despite increasingly damning evidence of the scale of the pollution. Grade A-. Mother of seven children. Worst moments: Criticism of Suica’s social conservatism re-emerged after her appointment hearing in the European Parliament. “When he talks about Serbia, he seems ready to close his eyes” because of close ties between Serbia and Hungary in the energy sector, one diplomat said. Until that happens, a big part of his work is effectively frozen. Grade C. Best moments: A January press conference, at which the former mayor of Dubrovnik urged the EU to “be bold, creative and embrace together the innovative nature” of the Conference on the Future of Europe. While the EU’s competence in health and other matters is limited, Lenarčič will be challenged in pushing national capitals to react correctly. He was also pretty visible when the Commission put forward a financial package of €3.3 billion to help the Balkans cope with the pandemic, mobilized together with the European Investment Bank. If anything, von der Leyen… If you do not have a login you can register here. The tweet did not strictly adhere to the neutrality officially expected of a European commissioner but it made her point. Strangely, for all these achievements, the mild-mannered Pole appeared uncomfortable in the limelight, keeping a low profile during debates and never claiming credit for the results. In October, the Commission indicated it would withdraw the plan “on the grounds of it becoming obsolete.” However, this was arguably a small defeat offset by a larger victory — as the planned recovery fund is a much larger joint pot of EU money, even if it is meant to be temporary. In another embarrassment, the EU stood by powerlessly as war flared in Nagorno-Karabakh and then ended with a Russian-backed peace plan to implement new borders, redrawn without input from Brussels. Although that’s not her fault and the two countries can’t formally block the plan, the optics weren’t great. Sputnik is live from Brussels, Belgium, where President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, and European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton are briefing the press following a meeting of the European Commission College on Wednesday. 743 0 obj <> endobj Once the leadership issue is resolved, Šuica will be able to pursue her main mission. What comes next: Schmit gets another go to push through his socialist ambitions when he presents plans to revamp the European Pillar of Social Rights early next year. Grade B. Fluent in four languages, Schinas has a very wide portfolio that includes migration, education, culture and sports. Performance review: In only one year, the French commissioner went from “Thierry Who?” to almost outshining his boss Ursula von der Leyen. Worst moments: In recent days, the Migration Pact has started to look not so novel, as old and deep divisions among member countries have come to the fore once again. But Várhelyi has not exactly gone out of his way to win friends. But things improved and Lenarčič has since played a key role in the EU’s joint reaction to the pandemic. He has a reputation for an abrasive temperament and and being even “more of a right-winger than Orbán,” as a diplomat put it. Grade B. Working with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, von der Leyen will have a crucial role in rebuilding transatlantic relations and using the renewed partnership to address festering problems such as dysfunction in the World Trade Organization. She also pushed Frontex, the EU border agency, to shed light on accusations it was involved in alleged pushbacks of asylum seekers in Greece, a practice illegal under international law. What comes next: 2021 will be the year to watch whether the Danish politician lets European industrial policy take a more political direction. Worst moments: Kyriakides often struggled to turn her calls for “solidarity” and “coordination” into action. Von der Leyen's commission is already one month late with taking office. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, there was pressure from some business interests for the Commission to drop the Green Deal and embrace deregulation. Performance review: After a quiet few first months, Reynders found his groove on rule of law issues as tensions peaked between the EU and its bête noire members Poland and Hungary. On this page you will find the solution to ___ von der Leyen first female head of the European Commission who negotiated Brexit for the E.U. When Timmermans threatened to withdraw the Common Agricultural Policy over not being green enough, he was slapped down by his boss. Performance review: Von der Leyen’s focus on Africa, the coronavirus pandemic and the planned reform of the EU’s migration strategy brought Urpilainen some welcome attention for the development portfolio. And when handling migration, described by some diplomats as possibly the most toxic dossier in town, that’s already an achievement. The EU’s pivot to Africa, interrupted by coronavirus, begs for reinvigoration once the pandemic eases. The European Commission hit out Wednesday at a diplomatic snub that left its head Ursula von der Leyen without a chair as male counterparts sat down at a … Amid the crisis, von der Leyen has tried to keep a focus on top priorities like the European Green Deal and digitalization while also pushing, with some success, to improve gender parity in the College and senior civil service. What comes next: 2021 will test Kyriakides’ ability to keep EU countries in line. Margrethe Vestager Executive vice president for digital, and competition commissioner. What comes next: A ruling by the European Court of Justice mid-July put the topic of data protection — part of Reynders’ justice portfolio — front and center on his list of problems that urgently need solving. Ursula von der Leyen Commission president. If he is going to set the EU on course to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 as promised, the real work of Timmermans’ vice presidency is still ahead of him. Mariya GabrielCommissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. And Venezuela, a personal priority for Borrell, remains an economic and humanitarian disaster. Best moments: The Romanian commissioner was visible on the press podium in the early weeks of the pandemic, standing firm in arguing that companies must refund passengers whose flights were canceled in line with EU passenger rights. Who’s top of the class and who flunked the first year? What comes next: Should it ever get over the finish line, Hahn will play an important role when it comes to implementing the new budget from 2021. Fortunately Hahn knows well how to navigate Brussels from his two previous terms as commissioner. endstream endobj 744 0 obj <>/Metadata 50 0 R/Outlines 71 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/Pages 739 0 R/StructTreeRoot 124 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 745 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 746 0 obj <>stream Worst moments: Vestager had two major defeats at the EU General Court, which overturned her decision ordering Ireland to recover €13 billion in unpaid taxes from Apple and annulled the decision to block a major telecoms merger (CK Hutchison’s takeover of O2 UK). She’ll also have to master reviews of bank and insurance capital standards. European Commission Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200 1049 … The Commission is appealing both rulings. If you missed it, the theme was “resilience.” While Šefčovič avoided big flops such as during his previous term when he ran and lost in Slovakia’s presidential election, his work on Brexit implementation gave him little positive news to report. She did her best to gracefully cover for internal Commission disagreement on the matter by shifting the blame elsewhere. What comes next: The vexed question of who will lead the conference on Europe’s future has still to be resolved. Since everyone's lights stayed on, she can count that as a success. And her team stirred unnecessary controversy by not being forthright when von der Leyen left Brussels to self-isolate because of a coronavirus risk. It wasn’t popular with capitals or airlines, but Vălean warned of infringement proceedings and the challenge retreated. It also cost one commissioner his job. “People holding the highest executive offices should be aware of the fact that what they say in public, and it includes social network platforms like Twitter, resonates, and that prudence should be the rule … I’m afraid that some of those tweets that we saw did not contribute to the positive image of Slovenia in Brussels or Washington,” he said. He claimed the dubious award of most prolific Twitter user out of all the commissioners, but one who achieves very little impact. She delivered a strong September press conference urging the EU to become “collectively anti-racist” and pointing the finger at the Commission to take “an introspective look” to ensure diversity among staff. As president of the European Commission, von der Leyen is head of the EU executive, while, as European Council president, Charles represents member state governments. The Commission has vowed it will not resume as it was, but much tougher will be refereeing on how to change it. Worst moments: You can’t accuse the Italian of any real faults in 2020. The difficulty is that he has burnt his bridges in Ireland and Brussels. political guidelines of the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. It aims to make Europe the first climateneutral continent by 2050, - What comes next: Having laid his green cards on the table in several strategies, Sinkevičius now has to actually deliver the legislation. European Green Deal The European Green Deal is a programme outlined in the . French far-right leader Marine Le Pen endorsed the title as an “ideological victory.” But Schinas sailed through his confirmation hearing anyway and his title was later tweaked. Věra Jourová Vice president for values and transparency. Ursula von der Leyen has today named a team of 26 people to serve with her on the next European Commission, one from each member state. First female Commission president. Grade B. Latest news, analysis and comment on defense in Europe and beyond. Grade C. Best moments: Wojciechowski saw through crisis packages to help farmers through lockdown, an overhaul of Europe’s sustainable food priorities and the fruiting of a long-delayed Common Agricultural Policy reform. Worst moment: The commissioner in June took the stage to present the institution’s plans on combating racism amid a wave of Black Lives Matter protests in Europe and the U.S., but Reynders failed to adequately apologize for dressing in blackface while in office as Belgian foreign minister in 2015. Grade B+. Margaritis SchinasVice president for promoting our European way of life. But then the coronavirus has derailed much of his policy work, leaving him largely untested on issues that threaten to divide the EU. The president and her team struggled in the initial weeks of the pandemic as national capitals panicked and refused to cooperate, but the Commission found its footing and designed a historic €1.82 trillion budget and recovery package that was adopted unanimously by the European Council. crossword clue crossword clue. Worst moment: Her social media presence may be spot on, but her live appearances are still shaky. Although a budget deal among EU leaders did cut cohesion funding, it still stood at a chunky €330 billion, with a €47.5 billion top-up made available via a new REACT-EU program as part of the coronavirus recovery fund. The Commissioners; Ursula von der Leyen; President von der Leyen's team; Team President von der Leyen's team. Kyriakides managed relatively well, considering her plate was full of new files, an unprecedented crisis and the fact that Brussels doesn’t control health policy. Performance review: Being the Hungarian commissioner is not an easy job when your prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is an outspoken critic of the Commission and there are few other Hungarians in top Brussels posts. Dombrovskis also took over the portfolio of the departing Phil Hogan in the beginning of October. In the year that brought a health crisis, an economic crisis and rewrote social and working norms, who’s had the best year in the Berlaymont and who’s struggled to make their mark? It’s been a turbulent year for Ursula von der Leyen’s Class of 2019. Worst moments: Sinkevičius hasn’t impressed as much with the oceans part of his portfolio. Strategy documents on aging and children’s rights are also planned for early 2021. What comes next: Data — Breton’s current obsession. Vestager also faces a major test in the General Court’s verdict on the Commission’s €2.4 billion Google Shopping fine, expected in the spring. What comes next: An unfathomably busy legislative agenda looms in 2021 as Green Deal policies start to tumble out of the Commission. “If we continue at this snail’s pace, it will take almost 100 years to achieve equality,” she said. Jacopo Barigazzi, Hannah Brenton, Laurens Cerulus, Hanne Cokelaere, Maïa de La Baume, Jillian Deutsch, Mari Eccles, Andrew Gray, Laura Greenhalgh, Louise Guillot, Jakob Hanke Vela, Melissa Heikkilä, America Hernandez, Aitor Hernández-Morales, David M. Herszenhorn, Laura Kayali, Thibault Larger, Karl Mathiesen, Barbara Moens, Arthur Neslen, Christian Oliver, Joshua Posaner, John Rega, Eline Schaart, Bjarke Smith-Meyer, Paola Tamma, Simon Van Dorpe, Hans von der Burchard, Zosia Wanat and Eddy Wax contributed to this article. She also faces a challenge in trying to pressure national leaders to coordinate distribution of coronavirus vaccines and to maintain virus containment measures until it is safe to lift them. Best moments: When Turkey lifted controls on migrants exiting for the EU, the leaders of the top EU institutions flew to the Greek border in early March and von der Leyen expressed thanks to Greece for being “our European aspida,” or shield in Greek. In the spring, the Commission tried to get countries to harmonize travel restrictions, but after weeks of debates, they only agreed to look at the same color-coded maps. What comes next: If EU national leaders surmount the deadlock with Hungary and Poland — an effort being led by von der Leyen’s mentor, German Chancellor Angela Merkel — the Commission president and her team must urgently implement the new budget and recovery program. Worst moments: Von der Leyen has struggled most in moments when she couldn’t be found. Von der Leyen … Worst moment: Ferreira originally had responsibility for the Budgetary Instrument for Convergence and Competitiveness — a fledgling eurozone budget, dear to France and some other countries keen for the single currency area to have more fiscal muscle. She did decently, even though the difficult work lies ahead. Stella Kyriakides Commissioner for health and food safety. Johannes Hahn Commissioner for budget and administration. POLITICO photo illustration/Source images by Getty, Campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU. Grade A-. Expect it to be one of Breton’s biggest fights in 2021. While the Commission conveyed von der Leyen's irritation, an EU official who declined to be named said to do so might have provoked a "protocol … Both are controversial, so Simson will likely endure some heat. President von der Leyen was appointed by national leaders and elected by the European Parliament after she presented her Political Guidelines. This clue was last seen on February 20 2021 on New York Times’s Crossword. h�bbd```b``���@$SX�,��"٧�H֭ ����&�IV0�D���K� I��z �S�:#S�|F����� �7$ The EU was late to authorise Covid-19 vaccines and "still not where we want to be", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. Best moments: Amid global outcry following the police killing of George Floyd in the United States and the creation of “LGBT free zones” in Poland, Dalli spearheaded strategies on both topics, which are not primarily EU competence. Performance review: Embroiled in controversy at the outset because von der Leyen branded his portfolio “protecting our European way of life,” the Greek commissioner managed to turn his new title as “promoter” of the EU lifestyle into an asset.