Jul 29. () –
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has proposed Oliver Varhelyi, currently in charge of the bloc’s Neighbourhood and Enlargement department, as a European Union commissioner, citing his work in the previous legislature.
“My candidate for the European Commission is once again Oliver Varhelyi. Over the past five years, Commissioner Varhelyi has shown that the EU can make a difference as a positive force in its neighbourhood and beyond,” Orbán said on social media.
Varhelyi was appointed European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement in December 2019 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who recently garnered the necessary support for a second term following the European elections in June.
“She will do an excellent job in the next Commission!” said Orbán, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2024 and who has already been the subject of some controversy, such as his visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, behind the backs of the rest of the bloc.
Once the German authorities have interviewed the candidates put forward by the national governments, they will have to undergo an examination by the European Parliament, where the committees corresponding to each area of responsibility of the proposed commissioners will assess them individually before submitting the appointment of the entire College of Commissioners to a vote in plenary.
This process will begin after the summer break, when the institutions resume their work with the new legislature and will take place over several months, so it is expected that the new Commission will not begin its legislative journey until December.
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