EU commissioner

Jozef Síkela made a good impression at the hearing for the post of EU Commissioner for International Partnerships and Global Gateway in Brussels. MEPs and experts gave him a positive assessment. Zuzana Krulichová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for iDnes.cz.

One of the main tasks for Jozef Síkela, if he becomes EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, will be to manage the EU's Global Gateway project. The EU wants to counter China's expansion in Africa, Asia and Latin America with it. So far, however, this initiative has fallen well short of its ambitions. And that is not the only problem Síkela will have to face. Zuzana Krulichová, a Global Gateway expert from EUROPEUM Institute, talked about this on the podcast Bruselské chebíčky on Czech Radio.

Thanks to his existing reputation in the European Commission, Jozef Síkela has a certain advantage over other upcoming Commissioners. Though it remains to be determined whether he will be able to use this advantage well. Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, told Prostor radio what impact the International Partnership portfolio can have on the Czech Republic and what competencies it actually contains.

Despite previous speculation, the Czech candidate for the new European Commission and current Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela will be put in charge of the International Partnership portfolio by Ursula von der Leyen. The government sees this as a "mission accomplished", but the opposition as a failure. Experts are not sure whether this is a success for the Czech Republic. Why the Trade portfolio eventually went to Slovakia? Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Aktuálně.cz.

The nomination of the Czech candidate Jozef Síkela for the post of European Commissioner for International Partnerships was analyzed in Express Novinek by Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, as one of the podcasts guests.

Jozef Síkela will have a portfolio with a very broad agenda in the new European Commission. He will be in charge of cooperation with countries in Africa or Asia, where he faces the challenge of competing with China. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Voxpot.

Jozef Síkela will be in charge of the International Partnerships portfolio within the European Commission. This was announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Seznam Zprávy.

Petr, business or defense? This was the question posed to Prime Minister Petr Fiala by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Fiala replied that he wanted trade. Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Hospodářské noviny.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already decided on key positions in her new team. The energy portfolio should go to Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela, the Die Welt website reported citing its sources. Prime Minister Petr Fiala will not comment on the information, a government spokeswoman said. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČT24.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen already knows almost all the candidates for her future team. The deadline for member states to make their views known ends on Friday, August 30. In July, the EU chief executive asked member states to propose both, a man and a woman so that she will have an equal representation in the Commission. So far, only Bulgaria has heeded the EC chief's request and as the only country offered both a man and a woman. Also, the Lithuanian candidate has not been officially nominated, but his name has been mentioned in some media. For ČT24 comments Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute.

25 of the 27 EU Member States have already nominated candidates for the new European Commission. So far, 17 are men and 7 are women. According to the President of the European Commission Ursula von den Leyen, only Bulgaria has nominated both a man and a woman. The President also confirmed that there will be a new position of European Commissioner for Defense. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Slovakian STVR.

Intense behind-the-scenes negotiations are currently underway in Brussels over the allocation of 27 positions in the new European Commission, which will once again be led by Ursula von der Leyen. The German politician faces two major challenges: the limited number of strong economic portfolios, which many member states, including the Czech Republic, are vying for, and the effort to create the first-ever gender-balanced Commission, complicated by the predominance of male candidates. The situation was commented on for e15 by Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute.