Belgium misses EU commissioner deadline

Ursula von der Leyen gave EU countries until the end of August to put forward their candidate (or ideally candidates) for the next European Commission.

Only one country failed to do so … Belgium.

The deadline didn’t fit with ongoing, and faltering, talks on forming a national government, almost three months after Belgium held European, national and regional elections. 

“The name has not yet been decided, but I can tell you that Belgium will be able to submit a name within the deadline,” Georges-Louis Bouchez, the leader of the Reformist Movement (the French-speaking liberal party that’s likely to pick the commissioner), had said on Thursday. But as August ended, that pick had not been made.

Current Belgian Commissioner Didier Reynders was seen as a likely pick, although the names of former Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès and current Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib have both been floated.

After all the names are in, von der Leyen will assign them portfolios before the entire team (minus von der Leyen) faces hearings before members of the European Parliament.