President visiting – Secret poker for the EU Commissioner in Vienna

Over lunch, ÖVP Chancellor Karl Nehammer took the opportunity to find out which department Austria could get in the new European Commission.

Parliamentary process
The President of the Commission, in turn, wanted to know how the selection of the EU Commissioner worked. Unlike other EU countries, this is a parliamentary process. First, all ministers must unanimously agree on a candidate. The nominated person must then be confirmed by a majority of the main committee in Parliament.P

Due to the tight schedule for the National Council elections, Von der Leyen will not make any requests to Austria in terms of department or women quotas, but will instead allocate the department to the nominated commissioner based on his qualifications – that seems to be the success are part of the conversation. That doesn’t sound spectacular, but normally the procedure works differently. Only when the President of the Commission has been appointed by the EU Parliament does the President of the Commission approach the EU Member States and ask for proposals for the EU Commissioners.

In most cases, the countries have already been informed about which department could fall under the Member State in question. The women’s quota also plays an important role here. Since the EU Parliament will most likely only appoint Ursula von der Leyen in September, the appointment in Austria could coincide with the National Council elections at the end of September. This collision must be avoided. Agreement therefore appears to have been reached on the procedure for the Austrian government to appoint the EU Commissioner before the autumn.

Vice Chancellor Kogler is shooting across the board
But this nomination will also be difficult. Green Party leader Werner Kogler told the ÖVP on Thursday that it was not a law of nature that the appointment proposal for the EU commissioner came from the ÖVP. A day later he rowed back.

The fact is: the Greens also still have a number of positions to fill that they are entitled to under the Sideletter agreement. It may have been a warning shot from Kogler to the ÖVP so that this personnel package could be supplemented. Because time is running out. There are less than four months left until the National Council elections.

Be that as it may, now the poker game begins as to whether Magnus Brunner, Karoline Edtstadler or an independent candidate will become the Austrian EU Commissioner. With his qualifications, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner would be suitable for the EU Commissioner for Competition or Energy. Karoline Edtstadler for Justice.