Good morning from Brussels, 

Just a few weeks before the EU elections, the names of potential commissioners in the next EU executive are increasingly being circulated in the European capitals. 

Alexandra Brzozowski and Euractiv’s newsroom examined the rumoured and confirmed candidates and portfolio wishes in more detail. 

See the full story here.

Based on Euractiv’s “Commissioner Tracker”, EU socialists currently have four potential candidates: One has been confirmed in Spain (Teresa Ribera), while the centre-left governments in Denmark and Slovakia will probably also have socialist candidates. 

Malta may struggle to nominate a socialist candidate considering that some of those put forward so far have been charged with criminal offences, except current Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, who could be a possibility. 

In Germany, the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) cannot send a commissioner to Brussels because German Ursula von der Leyen will re-run for the EU Commission presidency. Even if she loses the post, the German Green Party must pick a commissioner, according to the coalition deal.  

The rest primarily come from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), followed by liberal Renew. 

If this scenario becomes a reality, von der Leyen will likely face a tricky situation. She will need the support of socialists—expected to rank second in the elections according to projections—to have a majority and get re-elected.

In early March, EPP secretary general Thanasis Bakolas told Euractiv that the wider picture suggests that the EU centre-right would not only get the Commission presidency, but also there is “a straightforward call that the key portfolios should be left to the very capable, steady hands of EPP leadership”. This statement was described as “excessive” by his socialist counterpart, Giacomo Filibeck. 

The liberal Renew will also have the bargaining power to claim big portfolios, considering that their support in the EU House to form a pro-EU majority makes them ‘kingmakers’. 

Some argue that granting the EU Council Presidency to Portugal’s socialist Antonio Costa may be part of a scheme to keep pro-EU forces—namely EPP, S&D, and Renew—happy. 

In March this year, eurozone finance ministers demanded the upcoming European Commission revive the bloc’s decade-old Capital Markets Union (CMU), mainly by reducing barriers for institutional and retail investors, listing, real-time access to market data, and securitisation investment. Anna Brunetti and Thomas Moller-Nielsen have more.  

In space politics, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected two European companies on Wednesday to develop a re-entry cargo spaceship and alleviate Europe’s struggle to access space independently, writes Aurélie Pugnet. 

On the agricultural front, Angelo Di Mambro saw a document suggesting that the Belgian EU presidency seeks to break the stalemate on gene-edited plant patents. 

Last but not least, the EU socialists called on EPP to see Giorgia Meloni’s ‘true face’. 

PARIS

French President Emmanuel Macron and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire have announced several initiatives to bolster artificial intelligence in France and Europe, saying the bloc “must learn to innovate before regulating”. Read more.

French government scraps organic farming targets from agri law under discussion. The first article of the national agricultural orientation law has been voted through French parliament, removing the targets of 15% of farmland for organic agriculture and 8% for legumes. Read more.

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BERLIN

German far-right EU lead candidate suspends campaign, party membership under threat. The German far-right AfD has barred their lead EU candidate, Maximilian Krah, from any further campaign events amid mounting pressure to suspend his membership in AfD’s next EU delegation in the wake of a series of scandals that rattled the party in recent months. Read more.

Weimar Triangle pushes for aligned EU foreign policy as priority for next mandate. The Weimar Triangle countries Germany, France, and Poland agreed to make “speaking and acting with one voice” regarding the bloc’s foreign policy a joint priority for the EU’s upcoming cycle, the foreign ministers announced on Wednesday. Read more.

HELSINKI

Russia’s push to change Baltic Sea border sparks concern in the region. A Russian defence ministry proposal to revise Russia’s maritime border in the eastern Baltic Sea created concern among NATO’s Northern members on Wednesday. Read more.

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STOCKHOLM

Swedish PM rules out dissolving ruling coalition despite clear divisions. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has no plans to suspend the ruling coalition’s cooperation with the far-right Sweden Democrats in the wake of heated parliamentary debates over the far-right troll farms scandal. Read more.

LISBON

Portugal’s government remains committed to recognising Palestine as a state but is seeking the broadest possible consensus among EU members, according to sources in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry. Read more.

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MADRID

Sumar calls for Spanish cooperation in ICC investigation of Netanyahu. Spain should cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes committed during the war on Gaza, Sumar leader and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz said on Wednesday, the day Madrid announced it would join Norway and Ireland in recognising Palestinian statehood on 28 May. Read more.

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ROME

Tensions rise between Italy’s deputy prime ministers over Europe vision. Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani are increasingly at loggerheads over their visions for Europe, as both are part of the same ruling coalition in Italy, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but belong to rival groups in Brussels – the ID and the EPP. Read more.

PRAGUE

The Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD/ID) said on Wednesday it would not share the same European political group with the Alternative for Germany party (AfD), following the same move by the French Rassemblement National. Read more.

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WARSAW 

Polish farmers meet Duda, end 10-day occupation of parliament. The Orka farmers’ movement in Poland has ended its 10-day hunger strike and protest against the European Green Deal after meeting with President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria seeks to dissolve pro-Russian paramilitary groups linked to German extremists. The Bulgarian prosecutor’s office has filed a lawsuit seeking to shut down two pro-Russian paramilitary groups that have been particularly active on social media, with calls to change the country’s constitutional order. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania’s Iohannis at odds with army chief over Russian war escalation. President Klaus Iohannis urged Romanians on Wednesday not to panic following recent remarks by the Army’s Chief of Staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, who warned of the likelihood of escalation, including military, with Russia. Read more.

• EU: Competitiveness Council convenes to discuss space law, strengthening Europe’s competitiveness through space and more;
• Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at high level discussion on “Fight against malicious foreign interference and disinformation in the EU and beyond”, in Paris, France;
• Vice President Maroš Šefčovič opens first meeting of Critical Raw Materials Board;
• Vice President Margaritis Schinas participates in “Forum Europa”, organised by the New Economy Forum;
• Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni participates in G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, in Stresa, Italy;
• Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra speaks, via videoconference, with Special Envoy for Climate Change of China Liu Zhenmin; Delivers opening speech at Third Forum of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change;
• Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides holds meetings with Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Vladimir Joković, in Podgorica, Montenegro;
• Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira delivers keynote speech at “EU Regional Social Progress index – Committee of the Regions” launch event;
• Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers keynote speech at high level meeting in anticipation of Net-Zero Industry Act and Net-Zero Europe Platform;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]