New College of Commissioners or the term 2024-29 presented 17/9/2024
European Commission press release of 17/9/2024 “Press statement by President von der Leyen on the next College of Commissioners”
Commissioners-designate (2024-2029) – including “Mission Letters”
- Security and competitiveness replace climate protection as the main topic of EU policy; food security/food sovereignty takes priority.
- The Farm-to-Fork strategy is history; the ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food’ in the first quarter of 2025 will determine food policy. What is not included as an issue will not be addressed.
- More than before, food policy begins with primary production; not a single concrete food law project is named in the mission letters. Farmers first, consumers second.
- Overlapping areas of responsibility (example: organics, welfare of livestock, imports from overseas) strengthen the controlling position of the Executive Vice-Presidents in relation to the farm/food and health/animals commissioners. Really important matters are decided at the top of the hierarchy. Divide et impera in the style of the new Commission.
- Question marks: Is food safety a subsection of health policy? Is animal welfare actually part of livestock policy or part of animal health? What is to be made of the title ‘Food Commissioner’ in the title of the Commissioner for Agriculture?
- The Luxembourgish Commissioner inherits the title of ‘Food Commissioner’, while the Hungarian Commissioner will be responsible for traditional food law, but politically he will have one of the least consequential portfolios at play. Pure politics.
- Confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate will be a walk in the park for Christophe Hansen and a public grilling for Olivér Várhelyi — just because the latter is Hungarian.
