Romania’s EU Commissioner Nominee Roxana Mînzatu Eyed for Cohesion

In the race for the most sought-after portfolios in the next European Commission, only a few countries can secure the top prizes. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce next week which posts will be assigned to the 26 nominees in her second team. Forming the new EU executive is a complex puzzle, requiring a balance of gender, political affiliation, and geographic representation among the future Commission members.

Additionally, national leaders and their nominees in Brussels are negotiating for powerful positions, with most of the lobbying taking place behind closed doors through direct talks between von der Leyen and national leaders. However, some of this lobbying occurs publicly, usually to exert pressure on von der Leyen and her team.

Romania’s nominee for the European Commissioner seat, Roxana Mînzatu, former Minister of European Funds between June 10 and November 4, 2019, proposed by Marcel Ciolacu for the post of European Commissioner from Romania, is one of the three names considered for the cohesion portfolio.

Although not necessarily the flashiest portfolio, cohesion is still one of the most important, as it oversees around a third of the EU budget and manages funding programs targeting other portfolios. Cohesion could be given a new name to better suit an investment-focused Commission, possibly renaming it ‘regional investment’.

The importance of cohesion will also be linked to the upcoming discussion on the bloc’s next seven-year budget and the likelihood that it will change the way Brussels distributes funds to poorer areas.