former foreign minister of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstraproposed by the proxy government mark the rut Appointed as new European Commissioner, replacing Social Democrat Frans Timmermanns Erdogan, who resigned as head of the left-wing coalition in the parliamentary elections to be held in his country at the end of November, successfully passed an interview with the European Commission president on Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen. “Mr Hoekstra has shown great motivation for the position and a great commitment to the European Union. The German has professional experience with a statement approving his proposal to appoint a commissioner to the Council and the European Parliament,” he said.
Hoekstra will lead climate action portfolio Although he will not take over the position of vice-president of the European Green Pact, which, as Timmermans claims, will correspond to the Slovak Social Democrat Maros SefkovicResponsible for the inter-agency relations portfolio. During the interview, as explained by the German, the Dutch politician pledged to maintain “social balance in all necessary joint efforts” along with an “ambitious” climate policy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
De Hoekstra, who has been deputy prime minister of the Netherlands in recent years, has been holding foreign portfolios since 2022 and the economics and finance portfolio from 2017-2022, a position where he criticizes Southern European countries during the crisis. coronavirus due to what he calls overly loose budgetary discipline. The Community Executive Chairman especially underlined it. “meaningful experience” in European politics. “Government experience will be an important asset, particularly in the implementation of climate-related legislative instruments, as well as Europe’s climate diplomacy and climate finance prior to COP28,” Von der Leyen added.
The hearing before the Eurochamber
Once this initial formality is complete, the next test for the Dutchman will be to attend the hearing before the European Parliament, which will result in opinion and voting at the plenary meeting in October. The EU’s 27 governments will also need to approve the appointment. Groups such as the European Left have already made it clear that they do not see the Christian Democrat fit for this post. “Frans Timmermans has convincingly defended the interests of the people through strong and effective climate legislation. His departure from the European Commission leaves a void that the proposed candidate, Wopke Hoekstra, cannot fill.” The group’s co-chairs, the French company, lamented in a statement. Manon Aubry (La France insoumise) and German Martin Schirdewan (Die Linke).
According to both, the appointment of Hoekstra is incomprehensible as it would shift the balance to the right. “To appoint an EPP candidate to replace a Social Democrat is extremely unsportsmanlike to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. A strong supporter of the European Green Deal is needed to resist attempts by conservatives and the far-right to dilute climate policy, he claimed, and recalled that Hoekstra “is a former employee of (the oil company) Shell and a member of an oil company.” party systematically trying to sabotage important parts of the European Green Deal Nature Restoration Law.