Von der Leyen reveals energy leads for next Commission

• Ursula von der Leyen announces key energy roles for Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands
• Teresa Ribera will oversee delivery of the bloc’s Green Deal, with former Danish energy minister Dan Jorgensen to take the energy brief
• Parliamentary hearing needed to confirm candidates in post

LONDON (ICIS)–European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen named former Danish energy minister Dan Jorgensen as her pick for the energy brief on 17 September, as she unveiled the structure of the incoming College of Commissioners.

The role is likely to work closely with big green portfolios for Spain and the Netherlands, as von der Leyen presented a leaner, more cross-cutting college than in the previous mandate.

Spain’s Teresa Ribera, one of six executive vice-presidents, will be responsible for a “clean, just and competitive transition”.

Her work will involve ensuring the EU stays on track to meet its goals under the bloc’s Green Deal and proceed with both decarbonising and industrialising the economy in parallel.

Ribera has been Spain’s ecological transition minister since 2018, a role which covers both energy and environmental policy. She was a key figure in finalising a number of energy files, including the electricity market reforms, when Spain held the rotating EU presidency in the second half of 2023.

Ribera will also pick up responsibility for competition policy from outgoing Danish commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Current Dutch commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will retain the climate brief he has held since August 2023, becoming commissioner for “climate, net-zero and clean growth”.

His responsibilities will include climate diplomacy and decarbonisation, alongside implementation and adaptation. The former Dutch finance minister will also pick up responsibility for taxation.

Jorgensen’s work will focus on lowering energy prices, investment in clean energy and cutting dependencies. His brief will also cover housing, which covers aspects including energy efficiency.

Von der Leyen told reporters that Jorgensen’s broad experience as an energy minister made him a good fit for the role.

She pointed to topics including the energy crisis, building an energy union and lessening Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels as key agenda items, alongside deepening Europe’s interconnections and supply corridors.

Von der Leyen also said Jorgensen was well suited to continue work on joint energy procurement, which she called “one of the top topics to increase the market power of the [EU] on the global energy market”.

Jorgensen was Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities from 2019-2022, before he became minister for development cooperation and global climate policy.

The commissioners-designate must be approved by the European Parliament before they take up their roles. Von der Leyen said it was impossible to say when the process would be complete but she hoped it would be soon.

The initial goal was 1 November, but that may slip. The parliament can accept or reject the whole Commission, and has previously used its role to replace certain candidates and demand adjustments to portfolios.

COORDINATION IS KEY

Asked about overlap between Ribera’s and Hoekstra’s briefs, von der Leyen told reporters that all commissioners and executive vice-presidents would need to work closely together.

“You cannot put reality in little boxes and separate the different topics from each other.

“Reality: everything is intertwined and interlinked,” she said, stressing that coordination and cooperation were paramount.

Von der Leyen also cut an additional layer of commission vice-presidents in the new college, which she said meant a “leaner structure, more interactive and interlinked”.

CZECH DEVELOPMENTS

Josef Sikela, a contender for the energy job, will instead become commissioner for international partnerships.

Sikela was well regarded for his work during the energy price crisis, when the Czech presidency convened multiple energy councils in the second half of 2022 to stabilise the situation.

His work will involve oversight of the €300bn Global Gateway programme, which invests in infrastructure abroad.

Von der Leyen said the role had links with energy and trade, pointing to examples of working with African countries on renewable energy or critical raw materials to help underpin the bloc’s competitiveness.