Ribera, optimistic but prudent, about chances of being EU Commissioner

4 months ago 19

Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera (PSOE/S&D) is confident she will join the next European Commission, headed for a second time by Ursula von der Leyen, perhaps in the climate or energy portfolio, she told the media.

“It is no secret that the Spanish government, the president of the government, has raised the possibility of my being the member representing Spain in the College of Commissioners, thinking, precisely, that the right combination of the green social agenda and listening to the people is the best way to achieve economic progress,” Ribera said after a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Madrid on Tuesday.

Ribera was the leading candidate for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE in the European elections, despite the Spanish party coming second in the EU elections, behind the now main opposition centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP),

Despite her optimism, Ribera called for “prudence and calm” regarding the possibility of becoming a European commissioner since, she said, the EU will have to consider various proposals from candidates, taking into account the preferences of member states and von der Leyen herself, who will have to negotiate to maintain all the balances between member states.

“It is very likely that there is no candidate for EU Commissioner who has at least 30% of the support of their voters in the European elections, as is the case with the proposal from Spain and the PSOE”, Ribera pointed out as a factor supporting her candidacy, Euractiv’s partner EFE reported.

While waiting to see “how this picture turns out”, Ribera believes Spain must continue to work towards a more integrated Europe, which, in her opinion, is a project and a vision of the world’s challenges.

“This, necessarily, in an essential way, involves understanding the environmental challenges, the challenges of equality, the social challenges”, she stressed.

Ribera resigned a week ago to take up her seat as an MEP, which allows her to continue in the government while waiting to eventually take up a position in the next EU executive.

On 26 June, the PP’s parliamentary spokesman, Miguel Tellado, accused Ribera of committing an alleged “fraud” by not taking up her seat as an MEP.

Ribera previously confirmed she would not take up her seat in Brussels, noting that this was her plan from the beginning.

(Juan Carlos Gómez | EFE; Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.EURACTIV.es)