Top Green MEP says Commission pick not ‘green’ enough

The 28-year-old interim minister put forward by Vilnius is only loosely affiliated with the European Greens.

ZEHDENICK, Germany — The Greens’ complaints about EU climate policy will not be placated by the nomination of a commissioner affiliated with their group in the European Parliament, Green co-leader Ska Keller said Tuesday.

Lithuania has nominated its interim economy minister, Virginijus Sinkevičius, to become the country’s next commissioner in Ursula von der Leyen’s incoming European Commission. Sinkevičius’ Farmers and Greens Union is under the umbrella of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the Parliament, though it is not a member of the political family, the European Greens Party.

But Keller told POLITICO that if Sinkevičius does become a commissioner, it would not be enough to address the party’s criticism that von der Leyen lacks concrete proposals for fighting climate change. Green MEPs rejected von der Leyen’s nomination as Commission president in the Parliament over such complaints.

“This does not at all satisfy our requests,” Keller said of Sinkevičius’ nomination, speaking to POLITICO in Germany ahead of an upcoming election in her home state of Brandenburg. “I don’t know [Sinkevičius] personally and I hope we’re going to meet in September. It’s great that he’s going to be there, definitely. But he’s not a member of the European Greens.”

Sinkevičius’ Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) has two members in Parliament and the agrarian party often pushes policies to the right of other Green groups.

Keller said the faction will convene in the Parliament the week after next to firm up its position as a round of commissioner confirmation hearings approach. National governments nominate commissioners, who are then approved individually by the Commission president. The Parliament then gives the final rubber stamp to the president’s package of commissioners.

European Council President Donald Tusk expressed support for having a Green commissioner earlier this summer, telling lawmakers he would “appeal to all my partners to involve the Greens in the nominations, even though there is still no European Council leader from this party.”

Green parties are in government in Luxembourg, Finland and Sweden, but all of these countries have nominated officials from other factions to be their commissioner for the next five-year term.

“On the commissioners, there’s only so much we can do,” said Keller.

Keller added that the Greens would continue to push for stronger climate targets under von der Leyen’s Commission, and in particular try to secure firm climate mitigating measures and better reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy — the EU’s mammoth farming subsidies scheme.

“We’ve been clear that our support will only come with content, on agriculture and climate issues,” said Keller.

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