In Brussels, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced the composition of the College of Commissioners and the responsibilities each member will hold for the next five years. Among them is Teresa Ribera, the Spanish government’s vice president and minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, who has been designated to serve as an executive vice president of the Commission with the portfolio of a Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition and of Competition.
This step precedes approval by the Parliament’s plenary and takes place before October 31, the date when the mandate of the outgoing Commission expires. Each candidate must appear before the parliamentary committees tied to their area of responsibility. It is not merely a formality; as shown in 2019, candidates from France, Romania, and Hungary were rejected. These hearings matter because they determine the suitability of the nominees, reveal the specific programs of the future commissioners, and the candidates commit to the institution before their nomination is endorsed.
Thus, this moment is a crucial test of the European Union’s democratic legitimacy, since the executive earns the Parliament’s confidence through this process. Yet coverage in Spain during the same week the Government presented its Democratic Action Plan highlighted claims that Spain had never held such high‑level representation, a claim not supported by history, and that Ribera was the first Spanish woman to hold a role of this magnitude, which is also inaccurate. Spain has had several vice‑presidents of the Commission, all from the Socialist side — Manuel Marín, Joaquín Almunia, and Josep Borrell — and a vice‑president from the PP, Loyola de Palacio, a fact quickly recalled by party allies. The debate, while lively, distracts from the real significance of choosing a new Commission, the agreement that made it possible, and its relevance for Europe’s future.
The results of European elections have helped contain openly euro‑skeptic forces, and the parties that historically supported the European project — social democrats, conservatives, and liberals — have preserved a majority and will continue to govern Europe. Given that the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and the People’s Party (PP) are allied in both the Parliament and the European executive, the controversy around Ribera appears unfounded. Both parties, with a demonstrated commitment to Europe, should use this moment to educate about the European Union and counter criticisms of a democratic deficit. The appointment of commissioners is one of the most visible moments of European democracy, and it is often perceived as distant by citizens. There is time to engage and to explain what is at stake.