Denmark nominates Vestager as European commissioner

Danish nomination keeps alive Juncker’s hopes of having nine women in the next Commission.

The Danish government has nominated Margrethe Vestager, who is currently deputy prime minister and minister for economic and interior affairs, as the country’s next European commissioner, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark’s prime minister, has disclosed.

The nomination, along with the choice of Frederica Mogherini as EU foreign policy chief, which was confirmed by a special summit of EU leaders on Saturday (30 August), takes the number of women nominated so far for the next Commission to six – Vestager, Mogherini, Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria, Věra Jourová of the Czech Republic, Alenka Bratušek of Slovenia and Cecilia Malmström of Sweden. 

If both Netherlands and Belgium provide women commissioners, which is considered likely, that would take the total number of female commissioners to eight, one short of the number of women in the current Commission.

Poland initially nominated Radek Sikorski, its foreign minister, as its European commissioner, apparently with the aim of securing the foreign policy post. Now that that job has been allocated to Mogherini, the expectation is that Poland will nominate someone else to be commissioner, for a different portfolio. Juncker will be urging Poland to nominate a woman, which would improve his chances of taking the total number of women to nine.

Cyprus has yet to disclose its candidate, though the president is thought to have nominated Christos Stylianides, a centre-right MEP.

Thorning-Schmidt waited to publicly announce the Danish candidate in the hope of securing a powerful portfolio. She said: “[Jean-Claude} Juncker has indicated that she [Vestager] can get a heavy portfolio. I will miss her though, she is an incredibly talented politician.”

Vestager, a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party, became deputy prime minister and minister for economic and interior affairs after the 2011 national elections. She was elected to the national parliament in 2001 and appointed party leader in 2007. An economist by training, she is an experienced politician who chaired the meetings of economic and finance ministers of the European Union during Denmark’s presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2012.

Juncker yesterday called on Belgium – the only country that has not come up with a list of possible candidates – to nominate a woman as commissioner. Juncker’s spokesperson said: “Belgium is paralysing Europe”, referring to the delay in putting forward any names.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said at the Council meeting yesterday: “If there are fewer women elected to Commission than the current nine, there is a risk of receiving not enough support in the European Parliament.”

The female commissioners in the current Commission have called for “ten or more” women in the next college.