On 17 September, the President of the European Commission sent the Commissioners-designate their mission letters for the next five years. These letters build on the Political guidelines put forward by Ms von der Leyen for the new mandate until 2029. They therefore provide insights into forthcoming initiatives such as the Clean Industrial Deal, the Circular Economy Act and the Affordable Housing Plan.
If confirmed by the European Parliament, the new College of Commissioners would be composed of six Executive Vice-Presidents whose portfolios reflect the priorities of the future College. Two of them would be particularly relevant to Glass for Europe activities:
- Executive Vice-President for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition – Teresa Ribera (S&D, ES)
- Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy – Stéphane Séjourné (Renew, FR)
These two Commissioners would oversee key files such as the Clean Industrial Deal which aim will be to “unlock investments, create lead markets for clean tech and put in place the conditions for companies to grow and compete”. To do so, the Commission intends to develop a new State aid framework and put in place a European Competitiveness Fund. The two executive vie-president are expected to work closely on what should be an equivalent of what the Green Deal was in the last five year. As part of the Clean Industrial Deal, Commissioner Séjourné is expected to present an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act with a focus on energy intensive sectors.
The two Executive vice-presidents will be supported in their task by the following commissioners:
- Wopke Hoekstra (EPP, NL) – Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth,
- Jessika Roswall (EPP, SE) – Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
- Dan Jørgensen (S&D, DK) – Energy and Housing
As promised by Ms von der Leyen in her speech ahead of re-election, ‘Housing’ is now a priority of the Commission. The new commissioner is in charge of help to bring down energy prices, invest in clean energy and ensure the EU can cut its dependencies.
Ms Roswall is also meant to present a Circular Economy Act to create market demand for secondary materials and establish a single market for waste.
For further details, all the Commissioners-designate mission letters are available here.
Glass for Europe is satisfied that the priorities set out in the 2024-2029 Manifesto are echoed in the new College of Commissioners responsibilities. It however remains to be seen how this will translate into concrete legislations. The upcoming hearings of the Commissioners-designate should provide additional insight. The hearings are yet to be scheduled and might not take place before the beginning of November.
Glass for Europe will make sure to follow and contribute to this next important step.