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The Juncker Commission: A strong and experienced team standing for changeEuropean Commission - IP/14/984 10/09/2014 Other available languages: FR DE DA ES NL IT SV PT FI EL CS ET HU LT LV MT PL SK SL BG RO HR |
European Commission Press Release Brussels, 10 September 2014 The Juncker Commission: A strong and experienced team standing for change Today, President-elect Juncker unveiled his team and the new shape of the next European Commission. After the European Union has come through one of the most testing periods in its history, one of the biggest challenges will be to convince citizens that things will change. To deliver change, the Commission needs to be open to reform. The new European Commission will be streamlined to focus on tackling the big political challenges Europe is facing: getting people back to work in decent jobs, triggering more investment, making sure banks lend to the real economy again, creating a connected digital market, a credible foreign policy and ensuring Europe stands on its own feet when it comes to energy security. The new way the Commission will be set up reflects these Political Guidelines, on the basis of which Jean-Claude Juncker was elected by the European Parliament. The President-elect personally interviewed all Commissioners-designate and is convinced that his strong and experienced team can deliver, by working collectively, in a more efficient way. President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker said: "In these unprecedented times, Europe's citizens expect us to deliver. After years of economic hardship and often painful reforms, Europeans expect a performing economy, sustainable jobs, more social protection, safer borders, energy security and digital opportunities. Today I am presenting the team that will put Europe back on the path to jobs and growth. In the new European Commission, form follows function. We have to be open to change. We have to show that the Commission can change. What I present to you today is a political, dynamic and effective European Commission, geared to give Europe its new start. I have given portfolios to people – not to countries. I am putting 27 players in the field, each of whom has a specific role to play – this is my winning team." A new way of working The new College will have seven Vice-Presidents, six1 in addition to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy (Federica Mogherini), each leading a project team. They will be steering and coordinating the work of a number of Commissioners in compositions that may change according to need and as new projects develop over time (see Annex 2). These project teams mirror the Political Guidelines. Examples include 'Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness', 'Digital Single Market' or 'Energy Union'. This will ensure a dynamic interaction of all Members of the College, breaking down silos and moving away from static structures. The Vice-Presidents will all act as real deputies to the President. President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker said: "In the new Commission, there are no first or second-class Commissioners – there are team leaders and team players. They will work together in a spirit of collegiality and mutual dependence. I want to overcome silo-mentalities and introduce a new collaborative way of working in areas where Europe can really make a difference." He is looking forward to the European Parliament hearings of the Commissioners-designate that will provide a democratic process for explaining and vetting the Commission's objectives and political programme. Important novelties
For a full breakdown and overview of projects teams and the allocation of portfolios, see Annex 4. The right jobs for the right people In attributing portfolios, President-elect Juncker took great care to strike the right balance between genders, political affiliations and competences. Political Experience A strong and experienced team, the proposed Juncker Commission includes 5 former Prime Ministers, 4 Deputy Prime Ministers, 19 former Ministers, 7 returning Commissioners and 8 former Members of the European Parliament. 11 of these have a solid economic and finance background, whilst 8 have extensive foreign relations experience. The Juncker Commission has the necessary expertise to tackle the current economic and geopolitical challenges that Europe is facing (see Annex 4) Democratic Legitimacy One third of the members of the new Commission (9 out of 28 eight), including the President-elect, campaigned in this year's European elections reaching out to citizens and seeking their support. The Female Factor Following intense negotiations and the insistence of President-elect Juncker's on female candidates, there are 9 female and 19 male Members of the Juncker Commission and 3 of the 7 Vice-Presidents are women. Next Steps In a next step, the European Parliament has to give its consent to the entire College of Commissioners, including the President and the High-Representative Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. This is preceded by hearings of the Commissioners-designate in the relevant parliamentary committees, in line with Rule 118 of the Parliament's Rules of Procedure. Once the European Parliament has given its consent, the European Council formally appoints the European Commission, in line with Article 17(7) TEU. For more information: See detailed questions and answers in MEMO/14/523 Following an EU-wide election campaign, Jean-Claude Juncker was proposed as candidate for President of the European Commission by the European Council on 27 June 2014. On the basis of the Political Guidelines he set out before the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker was elected to become next President of the European Commission by a strong majority of 422 votes in the European Parliament plenary session of 15 July 2014. Homepage of President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker: http://ec.europa.eu/about/juncker-commission Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission: 'A New Start for Europe: My Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change': http://ec.europa.eu/news/eu_explained/140715_en.htm Follow the President-elect on Twitter: @JunckerEU #TeamJunckerEU Follow the Spokespeople of the President-elect on Twitter: @MargSchinas, @Mina_Andreeva, @NatashaBertaud
ANNEX 1. The New Shape 2. The Faces of the Juncker Commission 3. Age and Gender: Statistics 4. A strong and experienced team
5. Allocation of portfolios and supporting services Frans Timmermans, Kristalina Georgieva, Andrus Ansip, Alenka Bratušek, Valdis Dombrovskis and Jyrki Katainen. |
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