| | The European Commission’s powerful competition authority — responsible for slapping Google and Apple with billion-euro fines, probing Big Oil, and reining in corporate power across the EU — is facing a leadership vacuum. Oliver Guersent, the French civil servant who has led DG Competition since 2020, will step down on 31 July, setting off a scramble for one of the EU’s most politically sensitive posts.
Names like Anthony Whelan – acting economics advisor in von der Leyen’s cabinet – and DG Energy chief Ditte Juul Jørgensen are being floated in Brussels corridors, as first reported by the FT. Whelan is seen as almost too qualified for the job. “The president won’t let him go that easily,” one senior EU official told Euractiv. Jørgensen, a former chief of staff to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, brings the advantage of coming from a smaller member state – a factor that would ease tensions around nationality balance and reduce friction with major capitals.
A Frenchman, Guersent’s exit also raises questions about the mix of nationalities at the top of the Commission. That also weakens the case for another French contender, Céline Gauer, who runs the Commission’s Reform and Investment Task Force. She is widely seen as highly competent, having negotiated the recovery plans with EU capitals.
Still, there are signs that the Commission will go for a simpler option: a DG-level reshuffle rather than promoting someone still finding their feet. In that regard, Linsey McCallum is seen as a strong contender. With a proven track record as deputy director-general for antitrust, she’s already navigating the most politically charged files in the building. “She’s extremely respected, has the courage to act when needed, and knows how to be political while remaining deeply respectful,” an antitrust economist noted. | | |
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| | Less than a week before the Commission presents the bulk of its 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, virtually all parts of the proposal have been leaked.
Our chief diplomatic correspondent Alexandra Brzozowski writes that the Commission will propose combining different external action programmes and funds into a single 'Global Europe Fund', divided between six regions. It will suggest, for the first time in a budget proposal, to directly link the EU's foreign aid to recipient countries’ efforts in preventing migration into the bloc.
Another key element of the EU executive's proposal will be a Ukraine fund to be incorporated into the EU budget, to guarantee long-term financing for Kyiv from 2028 to 2034. Likelihood of success on a scale from 1 to Hungary: Unlikely. Read more here.
Chief defence correspondent Aurélie Pugnet writes that defence start-ups are to get a specific fund named "DARPA" under the Horizon Europe research programme. DARPA is the name of the US Pentagon’s key agency channelling billions of dollars in defence innovation, which does not have an equivalent at EU level. A European DARPA (mimicking the US agency which invests in defence innovation) could help complete the EU defence fund currently marked at €8 billion.
Euractiv’s Claudie Moreau writes that the Commission is preparing to merge the Creative Europe and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) funding programmes. The new proposal, obtained by Euractiv, would fund culture, media, audiovisual services, and projects aimed at supporting EU values. This is a hit for cultural industries that rely heavily on Creative Europe and feared combining it with other funding objectives may dilute their own share of the EU budget. Read more.
Meanwhile, Euractiv’s Jacob Wulff Wold writes that there are few details so far on the two thirds of the budget reserved for farmers and the regions. The latter have been promised a "dedicated" budget with a preserved two pillar structure of direct farmer support and rural development funds.
A Monday German parliamentary cable, seen by Euractiv, suggests only the direct payments will be truly ring-fenced within the national partnerships, with the rest of CAP and cohesion subject to “horizontal flexibility”. But the fight may last until the final whistle on Wednesday. | | |
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