Analysis
Socialists appeal to the ‘pro-European majority’ to block Fitto appointment
‘It is essential that the Socialist commissioners get weighty portfolios.’ Socialists in Europe push back. Von der Leyen needs more time to hold together a fragile coalition.
Even when it all seems settled, everything can be thrown into question all over again. With very little notice, Ursula von der Leyen moved the presentation of the new EU Commission to next week. It had been set for Wednesday in Brussels, in front of the group leaders of the European Parliament. Instead, the most awaited moment after the return from the summer break is postponed: it will take place on Tuesday, September 17, during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, once again before the leaders of the European political groups.
A formal reason was provided to justify the postponement, but there was also a deeper, substantive one. The formal one is that Brussels wanted to wait for the validation of the nomination of the Slovenian candidate by the parliament in Ljubljana, set for Friday. The substantive one was the discontent of the Socialists, a key component of the Ursula 2 majority, over the figures in her future executive.
The reasons for the tension were evident in the note that the chairwoman of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group put out at noon on Tuesday. Its target was the prospective role of Raffaele Fitto (the current Minister of European Affairs in Rome, from the FdI, which is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group), who, according to leaks circulated earlier this week, was being touted for one of the six executive vice-presidencies of the new European government. Along with the prestigious role, he would be assigned a weighty portfolio, with oversight over Cohesion and Next Generation EU funds, as requested by the Meloni government.
“Proactively bringing ECR into the heart of the Commission” is a “recipe for losing the support of progressives,” warned Socialist leader Iratxe Garcia Perez, appealing to the “pro-European majority” that elected von der Leyen. Fitto would be the only member of a party outside the EPP-Socialists-Liberals-Greens parliamentary coalition to hold a key post in Europe's highest institution.
The clear stance of the Socialist group leadership doesn’t seem to be shared by the Italians of the PD. “We were not the driving force behind the criticism of the possibility of a vice presidency for Fitto,” a member of the PD delegation confided to reporters. “We will judge Fitto without any prejudice,” said the leader of the PD delegation, Nicola Zingaretti, whose view was that a prominent portfolio for Italy was a “positive” development, while calling for “consistency” between the Commission that is being formed and the pro-European orientation of the parliamentary majority.
Certainly, the current Minister of European Affairs is in no way lacking when it comes to pro-EU credentials. But the opposition to Fitto didn’t come out of nowhere and cannot be expected to be resolved easily. It had been foreshadowed by the statements of Green leader Terry Reintke, who on Monday asked von der Leyen not to distort her coalition, which the environmentalists had also joined, by giving the conservatives of the ECR group – featuring parties like FdI and the Polish Law and Justice (PiS) – a role at the highest level. Moreover, the tension between the two main components of the Ursula majority, the Socialist and Popular groups, has been going on for some time, as shown by the contention over the role of Socialist commissioner Teresa Ribeira, singled out for the Green Deal portfolio but opposed by the Populars and supporters of nuclear energy.
“It is essential that the Socialist commissioners get weighty portfolios, even more representative than the actual number of representatives we will have,” PD MEP Brando Benifei told il manifesto. “We are the second-largest European political family and our role is indispensable,” he stressed. With most European governments being center-right, the number of commissioners from the progressive area is less than a third of those attributable to the EPP. Von der Leyen still has a week, barring any surprises, to negotiate a compromise. Her majority is unlikely to blow up, but tensions within it could make the final assembly of the puzzle rather complicated.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/schiaffo-dei-socialisti-a-fitto-no-a-ecr-si-rispetti-la-coalizione-europeista on 2024-09-11