  EU Commission

The European Parliament has cleared the way for the new EU Commission to take office. On Wednesday, the leaders of the political groups approved the seven Commissioners who had not yet been confirmed. The nominations of Raffaele Fitto (ECR/Fratelli d'Italia) and Teresa Ribera (S&D/Social Democrats) as vice presidents were the subject of heated debate. Commentators are unsparing in their criticism of the process - and of the results.

At the hearings currently taking place in the European Parliament, the candidacies of three commissioners-designate are under dispute. Raffaele Fitto is controversial owing to his affiliation with the right-wing populist Fratelli d'Italia, Olivér Várhelyi must face further questions before being signed off, and Spain's conservative People's Party says Teresa Ribera is partly responsible for the catastrophic consequences of the flash floods in Spain. Commentators discuss potential outcomes.

After a few hiccups and a lot of grumbling in the selection process, Ursula von der Leyen announced her list of 27 commissioners-designate for the new EU Commission last Tuesday. The next step is for the EU Parliament to approve her candidates. Each member state has been assigned a post, but a glance at the commentaries shows that not everyone is happy with the distribution of the portfolios or the leadership style of the German EU Commission chief.

Ursula von der Leyen had planned to present the new EU Commission today, but has now postponed this until next week. One reason is that Slovenia replaced its previous candidate Tomaž Vesel with Marta Kos at the last minute, a decision which still has to be approved by the parliament in Ljubljana. But apparently this isn't the only personnel decision still under discussion.

The EU Commission has presented proposals for a reform of the European debt rules. Under the new regulations heavily indebted states are to be given customised options for reducing excessive public debt. This represents a major departure from the current principle according to which the same rules apply to all member states. Opinions are divided.

The European Parliament approved Ursula von der Leyen's new EU Commission by 461 votes to 157 on Wednesday. Europe's commentators see this as a success for the new Commission president but suspect she won't always receive this much backing from the Parliament in the future.

First several candidates for the new EU Commission failed to meet with the EU Parliament's approval, and now more trouble lies ahead: Brussels has launched infringement proceedings against London after it failed to name a candidate for Ursula von der Leyen's team. Commentators are increasingly worried by the problems the new Commission is having getting started.

After his first candidate was rejected by the European Parliament, Macron has now proposed the manager and former finance minister Thierry Breton as France's EU commissioner. Media in France criticise that Breton worked for companies that he would be in charge of monitoring if he is appointed. Is there a real conflict of interests?

The European Parliament has rejected the designated French EU commissioner Sylvie Goulard after a second hearing, citing doubts about Goulard's integrity. In France Goulard has been the target of criticism for some time because of a scandal involving feigned employment and on account of her activities as a consultant for a private investor for several years. European commentators suspect, however, that there were other motives behind the vote.

The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament is currently reviewing the candidates put forward by Ursula von der Leyen for the EU Commission. The Romanian candidate Rovana Plumb and the Hungarian Laszlo Trócsányi have been rejected. Commentators examine the reasons.

The Greek EU Commission vice-president designate Margaritis Schinas has been tasked with "protecting our European way of life". In this capacity he will be responsible for migration in the EU, among other matters. The newly created position is still the subject of heated debate several days after it was first announced.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president-designate of the EU Commission, presented her new team of commissioners on Tuesday. The composition of the Commission and the titles of the new portfolios have met with criticism in the media. Commentators speculate on what changes the new faces in Brussels will bring.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is screening nominees for the EU Commission in a first round this week. Von der Leyen has insisted that the next Commission must respect gender parity. Member states have until the end of August to name their candidates - and are faced with very different challenges.

First of all supposed "lead candidates" for the Commission presidency and a surprisingly high voter turnout. Then power struggles and bickering between leaders of the member states who want nothing to do with the lead candidates. Finally the election of von der Leyen with a wafer-thin majority. After all of this a number of commentators are calling for urgent change.

With just nine votes more than she needed the European Parliament has elected Ursula von der Leyen as the new President of the EU Commission. Since the heads of government ignored the actual lead candidates for the top EU post many MEPs only opted to vote for the German politician at the last minute. Commentators make clear what they expect of von der Leyen.

The EU heads of state and government have agreed on who should get which top job. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was nominated as Commission president, Belgian Prime minister Charles Michel as EU Council president, IMF boss Christine Lagarde was chosen to head the ECB, and Spain's top diplomat Josep Borrell is to become the EU foreign policy chief. Europe's press assesses the outcome of prolonged and tense talks.

Marathon talks aimed at settling the allocation of top EU posts have been taking place since Sunday. The election of Dutch social democrat Frans Timmermans as EU Commission President seemed almost certain before Italy and the Visegrád states opposed it. Whether this Tuesday's discussions will bring a decision seems doubtful. Commentators voice concern about the effects of the back and forth on the EU's reputation.

Manfred Weber is hoping to become the next President of the European Commission. The EPP, which is likely to become the strongest party in the new European Parliament, has selected him as its lead candidate. However, President Macron and a few other leaders are now questioning the lead candidate procedure and want to retain the right to nominate the president themselves. Commentators describe a struggle over posts with an uncertain outcome.

CSU European politician Manfred Weber has announced that he will run for the post of EU Commission president after the European elections in 2019. The EPP will decide on November 8 whether it will name Weber, its current parliamentary group leader, as lead candidate. Europe's media are already weighing up the pros and cons of Weber becoming EU Commission President.