LETTER FROM BRUSSELS
Designated European Commissioner Kaja Kallas, European High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, during a first rally with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. OLIVIER HOSLET / AP
The countdown has officially begun. Since Tuesday, September 17, the twenty-six European commissioners of the new executive college led by Ursula von der Leyen have learned their respective portfolios. They now have no time to waste in preparing for their parliamentary hearings.
The designated commissioners must start assembling their teams, focusing on diversifying both geographic and gender representation – each team must include at least five different nationalities. More importantly, they need to prepare for their appearances before the European Parliament, which has yet to finalize the exact dates for these meetings. The hearings are expected to take place between mid-October and mid-November, leaving them just under a month to familiarize themselves with the issues and refine their arguments.
However, not all 26 commissioners appointed are in the same boat. While France’s Stéphane Séjourné and Slovenia’s Marta Kos were chosen at the last minute, Kaja Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, who will be high representative of the European Union and vice president of the European Commission, was appointed by the member states on June 27.
She had an additional two months to prepare to succeed the Spaniard Josep Borrell. Out of courtesy, Borrell visited Tallinn for two days in July to discuss the many challenges of the role of High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) with his successor. Kaja Kallas also met with Federica Mogherini, Borrell’s predecessor.
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Since mid-August, the 47-year-old former lawyer has settled in Brussels and has been holding numerous meetings. “It’s simple: whether in Brussels or Strasbourg, you can see her in the corridors of both parliaments,” said Nathalie Loiseau, a Renew (liberal, centrist) MEP. “The priority is making contacts, interviews will come after she’s been confirmed,” said someone from Kallas’ entourage, explaining why, beyond a few posts on social media network X, she is avoiding media exposure.
At the Parliament, she met with the institution’s president, Roberta Metsola, engaged with all the political groups, and held numerous one-on-one meetings with MEPs. “She’s very well prepared,” confirmed Loiseau. She leaves nothing to chance, discussing her immediate points of interest with each member. Before each meeting, she prepares her briefs carefully.
While making her rounds of the parliamentarians who will decide her fate, she has not neglected the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Commission Directorate-General responsible for international aid or neighborhood policy. There too, the first reaction of her interlocutors was the same: “She’s outstanding,” confides a European diplomat, impressed by her dynamism, listening skills, and the precision of her questions.
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Publish date : 2024-09-25 18:30:00
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