The Romanian representative in the new European Commission (EC) will be the MEP Adina Valean, the future president of the EC Ursula von der Leyen announced tonight, confirming the earlier news of the Euractiv.com portal.
The new center-right Romanian government today nominated two MEPs as candidates for European Commissioner: Valean and Siegfried Muresan.
According to Euractiv.com sources, Von der Leyen insisted on the need for equal gender representation, although the Romanian government wanted Muresan (38) in the Commission.
Critics pointed out that Von der Leyen did not insist on a commissioner in the case of France, when Thierry Breton replaced the rejected candidate Sylva Goulard, while she did so in the case of Romania.
The AFP agency reported from Brussels this evening that Von der Leyen entrusted transport specialist Adina Valean (51) with the transport portfolio.
Murešan and Valean are members of the right-wing EPP, the majority party group in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Von der Leyen is also a member of the EPP.
"Valean is an experienced MEP who has already chaired the ENVI (Environment) Commission and now chairs the ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) Commission," Von der Leyen said in a statement about her decision.
"During her career, she gained experience on topics related to transportation (...), she worked on digital vehicle connectivity and decarbonization," the announcement says.
Valean will now have to be heard by the committees of the European Parliament that previously rejected her compatriot, the socialist Rowana Plumb.
French candidate Thierry Breton and Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi will also have to undergo that procedure.
The MPs' assessment of the existence of conflicts of interest in the cases of those potential European Commissioners will be next Tuesday, November 12.
In addition, due to the postponement of Brexit until January 31 next year, 2020, Von der Leyen today asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to propose a candidate for the position of Commissioner.
The entire future EC, headed by Ursula von der Leyen, will have to get the approval of the European Parliament.
That vote is scheduled for November 27, and if the nomination is approved, the new EC will take office on December 1, AFP announced.
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