Von der Leyen refuses to reveal Commission team to the European Parliament

STRASBOURG — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not attach names to the portfolios in her next team during a meeting with senior members of the European Parliament on Tuesday morning, according to two EU officials.

At a closed-door meeting, the Commission president only gave the heads of the European Parliament’s political groups a general overview of the structure of her next College of Commissioners. She did not elaborate on which commissioners will do what jobs or go into detail about the portfolios.

The Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola was among those expecting a full briefing from von der Leyen.

“This was a provocative general presentation,” said one of the two officials, who were granted anonymity to speak freely about the closed door meeting. “She is lucky that there are so many group presidents who are so tame.”

A third EU official said that a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels has been pushed back to 2.30 p.m. adding that von der Leyen is expected to be discrete for now in the Parliament due to the fact that Slovenia has not yet officially nominated its commissioner candidate Marta Kos.