European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has introduced a fresh set of hiring rules for the incoming crop of EU commissioners, reshaping the composition of their cabinets and emphasizing diversity and inclusion.
According to Politico, von der Leyen has adjusted the number of senior cabinet members for each commissioner. She will maintain 12 senior members in her own cabinet, while the EU’s foreign affairs chief and the five Executive Vice Presidents will each have nine members (a reduction from 2019). The remaining 20 commissioners will retain their six senior cabinet members each.
As in 2019, von der Leyen is pushing for gender parity. Every cabinet is again required to have an equal number of men and women.
Additionally, in an attempt to prevent commissioners from stacking their teams with staff from their home countries, no more than two cabinet members may be from the same country as the commissioner they serve.
The process for confirming these new commissioners is set to begin soon, with hearings scheduled from November 4 to 12. While the exact schedule is still being finalized, each hearing will be limited to three hours. During these sessions, commissioners-designate will present their agendas and field questions from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), with the hearings broadcast live.
Among the commissioners to be confirmed is Greece’s nominee, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who has been designated as Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
