The leading party groups in the European Parliament have agreed to support all new members of the EU Commission.
In the final stages, the two largest party groups, the centre-right EPP and the social democratic S&D, were on a collision course over 7 candidates out of the 26 who would make up the Commission under the leadership of the current EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen.
EPP chose to fight over, among others, the Spanish candidate Teresa Ribera, due to the flood disaster in the Valencia area.
S&D, on the other hand, has been very critical of the Commission candidates from the far-right governments in Hungary and Italy.
Laid down their arms
On Wednesday, the two large party groups, as well as the liberal party group RE, chose to lay down their arms – and thereby open up for a vote in parliament as early as next week. The planned start date for the new EU Commission is December 1.
However, Social Democrat EU parliamentarian Heléne Fritzon is worried that the new Commission may become weak.
"The coming five years in the European Parliament will be a challenge", she writes in an email to TT and notes that the conservative group and the far-right extremists form a new majority in parliament.
"We need a strong EU that shows leadership in both crises and wars, and also takes the climate crisis seriously", Fritzon writes.
Tobé: Time to get to work
EU parliamentarian Tomas Tobé (The Moderate Party) welcomes the agreement, on the other hand.
"More than five months after the European election, it's high time to get a new EU Commission in place", he writes in an email. He emphasizes that problems with cross-border crime, EU's competitiveness, and issues related to migration are pressing for the new Commission.
"Now it's time to start working", writes Tobé, who is vice chairman of the EPP group.
The Swedish candidate, former EU Minister Jessika Roswall (The Moderate Party), will become Commissioner for issues related to the environment, water management, and circular economy.
The EU parliamentarians are divided into eight party groups:
* Christian democratic conservative EPP: 188 members (including 4 from The Moderate Party and 1 from The Christian Democrats)
* Social democratic S&D: 136 (including 5 from The Social Democratic Party)
* Nationalist conservative PFE: 86 (no Swedes)
* EU-sceptic conservative ECR: 78 (including 3 from The Sweden Democrats)
* Liberal RE: 77 (including 2 from The Centre Party and 1 from The Liberals)
* Environmentalist De gröna/EFA: 53 (including 3 from The Green Party)
* The Left – GUE/NGL: 46 (including 2 from The Left Party)
* Far-right ESN: 25 (no Swedes)
In addition, there are 30 members who do not belong to any party group
