This week’s key events presented by Euronews’ editor in chief for EU policy, Jeremy Fleming-Jones
Key diary dates
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Monday 29July: European Court of Justice to issue final decisions before the summer break.
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Mid-to-end August: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be back in Brussels to begin discussions with member states’ nominations for Commissioners.
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Friday30 August: Deadline for submission of nominations for Commissioners by member states.
In spotlight
With the election of chairs and vice-chairs to its 20 committees and subcommittees now complete, the European Parliament’s 720 members will now scatter to the EU’s 27 member states for the summer break before reconvening in September.
With two new far-right groups, the biggest drop in female representation since 1979 and an average age of 50, Euronews’ compendium gives a flavour of how the body that returns in Autumn will differ from the last assembly.
Unlike MEPs, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will return from holiday in mid-August and start a series of soundings and interviews to determine which slate of commissioners to pick for her new mandate.
As Euronews commissioner tracker shows, not all countries have yet made formal nominations. We’ll update the document over the summer as each country decides who they intend to send to Brussels, and what positions they will be lobbying for.
As reported, few countries appear so far to have taken on board von der Leyen’s demand for each to nominate male and female candidates. Of some 13 countries to have announced names, four have named only men, and a further four are men who will return to the commission for its new mandate.
The gender balance adds a further dimension to the strategic considerations member states need to weigh when pitching names. They also need to balance the personalities they select against the roles that may prefer to aim for.
The candidates will be presented to the European Parliament in the autumn on its return – when each will be grilled by specialised committees before MEPs vote whether to approve the college as a whole.
The Policy Briefing will pause over the summer and resume on Monday 26 August.
Policy newsmakers
Israeli-Palestinian conflict extends to formation of parliamentary committees.
During the inaugural meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) on July 23, the vote for the third vice-chair was postponed to September as the candidate proposed by The Left, Rima Hassan, was not acceptable to the EPP group. Hassan, a Franco-Palestinian, is known for her fervent activism in favour of the recognition of Palestine. François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the French list of the EPP, opposed her nomination, citing statements by her allegedly characterising the October 7 attacks on Israel as legitimate. He explained his position in a video posted on X, saying, “her remarks forever disqualify her from speaking on human rights.” Rima Hassan responded with a scathing message: “The cowardice that drives you here is the same as that in your empty and evasive gaze when I encounter you in the corridors of the European Parliament. Tremble. This is just the beginning.” “Your threats do not intimidate me, and I see nothing to tremble before,” Bellamy hit back. This clash on X might well end up in court, as Bellamy announced on July 25 that he had filed a police complaint against Hassan.
More on the story from Euronew’s reporter Mared Gwyn Jones.
