politjobs.eu job alert – From a new Commission to an EU Budget: Getting things (almost) done

And the EU is getting things done, after all! Just when you may have started believing those negative voices about bureaucratic slowness, we have – alas – a budget: at least for 2020. Whilst negotiations around the next Multinational Financial Framework of the EU are far from getting to any agreement, member states and the European Parliament managed at least a last-minute deal for the year commencing in a bit more than a month. And one fifth of that budget is to go to climate change.

Not only do we have a 2020 budget now, we also seem to have an (only almost) complete Commission. Members of the European Parliament approved both the French candidate Thierry Breton as well as the Hungarian nominee Olivér Várhelyi. Now one stumbling block remains: the UK again. As Boris Johnson does not want to nominate a UK candidate before elections on 12 December, the whole process is stalled – according to the books, the European Parliament can only approve a full list of Commissioners as recommended by the Council. And now we are back in the blame-gaming: the UK is appalled that the Commission is looking swiftly into starting an infringement procedure, whilst von der Leyen is certainly not amused about yet another delay of her Commission start date due to Brexit. Legal creativity on both sides to be expected: watch this space.

Someone who probably could not care less is acting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker: according to various media, he is recovering well from last week’s operation. Besides more UK troubles and a budget deal, he has missed yet another not very successful Spanish election, and the potential beginning of a new friendship: Belorussian leader Alexander Lukaschenko has travelled to Vienna and is once again courting the EU (or the other way around), whilst recent Belorussian elections ensured that even his last two opposition politicians are out of the game since elections in Minsk.

Someone who needs to care more again is outgoing Council president Donald Tusk: he has just been elected EPP president with an overwhelming majority. Definitely a safer choice than running for any position in his home country. Time to remind everone of his very best statement in his current job: Brexiteers without a plan deserve a “special place in hell”.

If you feel like you could help getting things done (or almost done) around Brussels, find attached some jobs and as usual more on  politjobs.eu!

Irina Michalowitz