IF the last few years have taught us anything, surely it is that who is in the hot seat when a decision has to be made matters, and indeed how they got there. So Tuesday’s presentation in Strasbourg by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of her proposal for the portfolios her 26 Commissioners will take is significant.

It is significant also as it reflects, finally, months of horse-trading between member state capitals, political groups in the European Parliament and the President herself. But before we read those runes, a reminder of the process.

The Commission is the EU civil service, overseen by a college of 27 Commissioners, each nominated by a member state, albeit they are not there as a national representative, they’re there to look out for the EU as a whole (even if most member states don’t see it that way). The Commission President is nominated by the member states and comes from the European political party that won the most seats in the European Parliament election.

So after the result earlier this year, it was returning President von der Leyen, coming from the European People’s Party (EPP) as the German nominee. She was grilled and then elected by the European Parliament just before the summer, 401 votes to 284 against with 22 abstentions.

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It is then up to the member states to nominate a Commissioner. Von der Leyen had an early misstep when she requested member states nominate a man and a woman in order to achieve gender balance. There’s no actual treaty basis for that request and most member states only nominated one, and usually a man at that. After months of to-ing and fro-ing however, a number of men have been withdrawn and the eventual College is 40/60 female/male. Not balanced, but a heck of a sight better than it was going to be.

The most spectacular withdrawal was outgoing French commissioner Thierry Breton, who had made a name for himself on competition policy, and indeed touting himself as the next president. Von der Leyen successfully urged Paris to withdraw him and President Macron was only too happy to comply.

Now we know the proposed portfolios, the Commissioners-Designate will go before the respective Committees of the European Parliament for scrutiny, then the European Parliament will approve – or not – the whole package in a vote later this year.

The Parliament always claims at least one scalp, and my prediction would be the Hungarian nominee Olivér Várhelyi, nominated as Health Commissioner but unpopular among MEPs already. There might well also be some tweaking of mandates as the scrutiny process rolls on.

But there is also a new structure to the Commission which hints at a new style. As von den Leyen catchily put it herself: “We have dissipated the former rigid stovepipes.” Thank goodness!

The idea is that the Commissioners will have overlapping responsibilities within general core missions, recognising that things like the just transition and climate change cannot be hived off and viewed as just two unconnected departments. Maybe it’ll work, mibbes naw, let’s see.

But what is clear is the new structure revolves very much around von der Leyen herself, and she clearly intends to be even more hands-on than she was in last time. I don’t see that as a bad thing.

So who’s up who’s down? This is a cracking result for the Baltic states, and small states generally. Estonian Kaja Kallas has already been confirmed as the EU’s foreign policy chief and Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius will be in charge of the new defence portfolio.

He’ll report to Finland’s Commissioner for the megaportfolio of tech, sovereignty, security and democracy Henna Virkkunen.

All these appointments are hawkish on Russia and supportive of Ukraine. Latvian nominee Valdis Dombrovskis lands two powerful (if perhaps not high profile) roles, economy and productivity as well as Commissioner for “implementation and simplification” reporting directly to the President.

Spain has a big win with their nominee Teresa Ribera up for the clean, just and competitive transition, as well as responsible for competition policy and the European Green Deal.

She’s formidable on the just transition stuff (rather weaker on competition, I’d have said) having been minister for the ecological transition of Spain since 2018 and secretary of state for climate change from 2008 to 2011. Expect to be hearing a lot of her.

Similarly, Danish nominee and my old MEP colleague Dan Jørgensen will be the Commissioner for energy and housing. Bringing these two competencies together could be really powerful in focusing on household bills, energy efficiency and emissions, bringing all the big stuff down to individual households.

Enlargement, especially to the Balkans, will be a big priority of this Commission, and Slovenian nominee Marta Kos has been proposed for this role. There’s presently still a question mark over her nomination as the original Slovenian nominee was suddenly withdrawn and hers still has to be approved by the parliament in Ljubljana, but she will, if confirmed, be a key voice in the Balkans. She’s a former diplomat who spent time in Germany and Switzerland, but is also outspoken with it so expect fireworks.

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From a UK perspective, as one friend in Brussels put it, “the Brits just aren’t sexy any more” with UK relations being moved into the Trade portfolio under Slovak nominee Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for trade and economic security. This is a new portfolio which also includes customs policy. Šefčovič has been leading on EU-UK issues so there’s a handy continuity, but we should be in no doubt UK relations are now, formally, just one issue amongst many.

There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip and the hearings process will be intense, who knows who might fall by the wayside? But it is clear this EU Commission will be far pushier than we’ve seen in a while, probably since the Delors Commissions of the 1980s and 1990s. I’d say that’s a good thing.