President Juncker temporarily transfers portfolio responsibilities following departure of two Members of the European Commission

Following the resignation of Andrus Ansip i and Corina Creţu i from their respective Commission mandates in order to take up the seats they were elected to in the European Parliament, President Juncker i has decided to temporarily transfer their portfolios to Vice-President Šefčovič i and Commissioner Hahn respectively.

Andrus Ansip has served until now as Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, and Corina Creţu has been in charge of Regional Policy. With his experience as Energy Union Vice-President and project team leader, Vice-President Šefčovič has the necessary expertise and a good network, both of which make him the ideal person to ensure continuity in the Digital Single Market portfolio during this temporary period. Commissioner Hahn i, in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, was in charge of regional policy during his previous Commission mandate and hence has all the necessary knowledge and contacts to temporarily manage the Regional Policy portfolio.

This is in line with Article 17(6) of the Treaty on European Union and Article 248 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, according to which the President decides how the European Commission is organised.

This morning, President Juncker informed the European Parliament and Prime Minister Antti Rinne, as the current holder of the Presidency of the Council, Vice-President Šefčovič and Commissioner Hahn, as well as the rest of the College about the resulting temporary working arrangements. The updated Decision on the organisation of responsibilities of the Members of the Commission is available online here and a full overview is here.

IP/19/3609