Von der Leyen’s Shadow: German Greens’ waning enthusiasm for EU Commissioner role

June’s European elections would have given the German Greens their first chance to nominate a Commissioner in over 20 years,  but with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seeking a second term and no one ready for the job, the party has largely lost appetite for the position.

During the negotiations to form the German government, the Greens secured the right to nominate the German commissioner for the future college after the upcoming EU vote.

At the time, it was hailed as a major victory, as it would have been the first time in two decades that the Greens held the commissioner post. But Ursula Von der Leyen’s announcement in March to run for a second term means she would take the spot of the German nominee under a Christian-Democrat banner.

But the Greens’ enthusiasm had started to dwindle long before then.

“The Greens in Berlin were very positive about the climate policies von der Leyen pushed for,” a Brussels party source told Euractiv, adding that the issue of a Green commissioner has not been high on the party’s agenda in recent years.

Von der Leyen belongs to the conservative CDU and is not part of the ruling coalition in Germany, composed of the Greens, Liberals (FDP), and Socialists (SPD).

However, the German government is likely to support her as the coalition agreement includes a clear commitment to the Spitzenkandidaten system, under which the top job in Europe should go to the lead candidate of the party that wins the most votes in the EU election ballot.

With von der Leyen’s conservative EPP currently dominating the polls by a wide margin, this commitment is working in her favour.

In search of a candidate

Since von der Leyen’s election also depends on the other member states, the Greens are slowly preparing for a possible, albeit unlikely, scenario in which von der Leyen is not approved for a second term and the doors are open again for a Green commissioner.

However, party sources told Euractiv that the German Greens themselves mainly support von der Leyen, and several other top candidates whose names have been floated recently have declined the job.

Among the most prominent contenders was Anton Hofreiter, helming the Bundestag committee on European affairs and only narrowly missing out on a minister post in Germany in 2021. However, Hofreiter also holds von der Leyen in high regard and acknowledges her ambitions to drive forward the Green transition.

“Mrs von der Leyen has driven forward many important European projects in her last term of office. Not least, the Green Deal with its Fit for 55 packages is also due to her initiative,” Hofreiter told Euractiv.

Whether von der Leyen can continue this course will “depend largely on the outcome of the European elections,” he said, adding that her conservative party is “openly questioning the political successes of recent years”.

Other priorities: an alliance in Parliament

The Greens are currently trying to engage more with von der Leyen. While they did not vote in her favour in 2019 and are not part of the informal ruling coalition in Parliament between the Socialists, the Conservatives, and the Liberals, they aim to change that after the election.

“We want to be part of the majority in Brussels,” Terry Reintke, who not only tops the German Greens election list but also holds the position of lead candidate on the European level, said in Berlin in February.

She added that her party would also be open to compromise to enter the coalition of von der Leyen.

Even though the scenario is still considered highly unlikely, party sources told Euractiv that Reintke also appears to be the top contender in case the Greens nominate a Commissioner after all.

But commissioner post aside, the polls are not looking rosy for the Greens. According to EU elections projections by Euractiv’s partner Europe Elects, the EU Greens are estimated to lose 20 seats in the next EU Parliament (from 72 today to 52).

In Germany, polls suggest that the Greens will rank fourth electing 14 MEPs compared to 25 currently.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alice Taylor]

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