Von der Leyen chooses the Slovenian Marta Kos as Commissioner for Enlargement

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented on Tuesday the new composition of the European Commission, which will have a five-year mandate.

She has decided to share the position of commissioner for enlargement with the candidate from Slovenia, Marta Kos.

But, she will be officially appointed only if she receives the support of the Parliament of Slovenia and the European Parliament.

Kos has not been formally nominated by her country.

"Each member of my team will bring their own experience and perspectives to Europe," von der Leyen wrote on the X platform.

The enlargement portfolio is of particular importance to the Western Balkans region, because all six of its countries, plus Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey, are in the process of enlargement.

With the exception of Kosovo, all of them are candidate countries, and some are also in negotiations for membership.

Kosi's candidacy has caused controversy in Slovenia, as the opposition does not want to support him or even schedule a hearing in the relevant parliamentary committee.

The Slovenian authorities have changed their candidate at the last moment, to help von der Leyen increase the number of women in the Commission, since it was less than one third.

However, von der Leyen's request was seen by some as an intrusion into the sovereignty of an EU member state.

The chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Slovenian Parliament, Franc Breznik, who comes from the opposition, has refused to put Kosi's confirmation on the agenda.

As a result, von der Leyen could not propose the new Commission on September 10, when it was planned, but postponed it to September 17.

It has now made this proposal, with the expectation that Slovenia will also finish its procedure in the meantime.

The opposition in Slovenia has accused Kosi of being a collaborator of the communist secret service of the former Yugoslavia.

Kos has been the ambassador of Slovenia in Germany and Switzerland.

Previously, she also worked in the Government of Slovenia as director of media relations.

According to the EU treaties, each member country has the right to have a commissioner. Consequently, the European Commission has as many members as there are member countries, namely 27.

Von der Leyen has repeated several times that, during the next 5-year mandate, he will prioritize EU expansion./ REL