It’s speculated that the EU’s trade commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, has his eye on an economy-focused position as European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, deliberates on job allocations. The Latvian commissioner, who previously held the prime minister and finance minister positions, is anticipated to covet the economy portfolio in the forthcoming commission, gearing up for his third term as EU commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Irish government plans to propose Michael McGrath, ex-finance minister, as their next commissioner, hoping the Fianna Fáil figure can secure a finance-centric role. Anticipations are high for roles within trade, economy, the EU budget, financial services, and the internal market.
Ms von der Leyen has the support from national leaders and the European Parliament for a second five-year term as commission head and she is preparing to form a new team of commissioners, who will be nominated by the EU countries. She expressed her intention to achieve gender balance in her team by requesting two names, one male and one female, from each country.
However, in contrast, it’s understood that the Irish government has decided to only nominate Mr McGrath, referring to treaty rules that state the nomination of commissioners is a decision made by national governments.
If Mr Dombrovskis does vie for the economy role, it may become unavailable to Ireland. Rumours circulate of his potential association with the role overseeing the EU budget, as per another commission source’s information.
Last month, the Latvian government confirmed its plan to nominate Mr Dombrovskis for his third term. Ms von der Leyen clarified that nations nominating incumbent commissioners for an additional term are not required to submit two potential candidates for her to choose between.
Presently, the role of the economy commissioner is occupied by the ex-Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni. Speculations suggest that tax policy supervision might be removed as a feature of the role due to expected rearrangements in numerous existing commissioner assignments.
Ireland, in the ensuing weeks, is set to heighten its persuasion efforts to secure a finance-related commissioner role. Nonetheless, the public confession by Fianna Fáil’s four MEPs who voted against Ms von der Leyen in the parliament confirmation vote might negatively impact Mr McGrath’s chances.
Several sources based in Brussels suggest that the Government might only secure a mid-level role. One source from the commission hinted that if Ireland’s push fails, Mr McGrath might either end up supervising development grants and finance, or managing a role pertaining to oceans and fisheries.