The EU Council approved the new composition of the European Commission (EC) under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, who is due to begin work on December 1, said in statement issued by the Council of the EU on Monday in Brussels. The UK, which is due to leave the EU on January 31, 2020, has not submitted its candidate to Brussels. The European Parliament, which will vote for it on November 27 at the plenary session in Strasbourg, must now approve the new composition of the EC, TASS reported.

The Council approved today a list of persons proposed for appointment to the European Commission by October 31, 2024. This opens up the possibility of voting in the European Parliament for approval of the full composition of the EC, the documents said.

The UK, which, according to the Lisbon Agreement, was supposed to leave the EU on March 29, 2019 - exactly 24 months after a written application for withdrawal was submitted to the European Council, could not do this because of sharp disagreements among the country's political elite. London has already received three deferrals, the last ending on January 31. Until that moment,, the UK remains a full member of the EU with all rights and obligations, including the obligation to appoint its own European Commissioner to the new European Commission. However, London did not do this, and now the EU institutions are preparing a legal justification that will allow making one more exception for London and avoiding the legal crisis with the appointment of a new European Commission.

Protracted appointment

The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, was unable to start work on November 1, as the European Parliament rejected the candidatures of European Commissioners from France, Romania and Hungary in September and October, suspecting them of a possible conflict of interest. As a result, these countries nominated new candidates to the EC.

Until the new European Commission is approved, the former EC, chaired by Jean-Claude Juncker, will continue to exercise its powers, which formally expired on October 31. Although one representative from each EU country is appointed to the European Commission, the European Commissioners should not represent the national interests of their states there, but should work for the good of the entire European Union, performing functions similar to those of the ministers in national governments.