The von der Leyen Commission takes office
On 1 December, the von der Leyen Commission took office. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attended a ceremony at the House of European History in Brussels on Sunday, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Lisbon. In a symbolic hand-over the President of the Commission received the Treaties from David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament.
President von der Leyen’s statement at the ceremony
President von der Leyen's Political Guidelines and priorities
President von der Leyen presents EU climate ambitions to world leaders at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid
On 2 December, President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech at the UN Climate Conference (COP25) in Madrid. The transition to a climate neutral economy by 2050 is the number one priority of this Commission. The Madrid Conference will focus on completing negotiations on the single outstanding element of the ‘Katowice Rulebook': the guidance on voluntary cooperation and market-based mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Work will be taken forward in areas including: oceans, finance, the transparency of climate action, forests and agriculture, technology, capacity building, indigenous peoples, cities and gender. The Commission will be present throughout COP25, which takes place between the 2nd and the 13th of December in Madrid
Speech by President von der Leyen at the COP25 in Madrid
European Commission adopts its working methods
On 4 December, the von der Leyen Commission adopted its working methods that will be the basis for the new College to deliver on the President's Agenda for Europe during the next five years. They put collegiality, transparency and efficiency first. There are a number of changes, notably with regards to the role of the Executive Vice-Presidents, the High Representative/Vice-President, the Vice-Presidents and Commissioners' Groups. The new working methods set up a new body for coordinating external relations questions, the Group for External Coordination (EXCO), and define how the Commission will follow up on its pledge to act on European Parliament Resolutions based on Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Finally, the methods say the Commission meetings shall become paperless.
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Remarks by President von der Leyen at the read-out of the first College meeting
European Border and Coast Guard Agency's stronger mandate now in force
On 4 December, he European Border and Coast Guard Agency's reinforced mandate entered in force. This provides it with the operational capacity and powers needed to support effectively the 115,000 member states' officers on the ground. Starting from January 2021, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be equipped with its own standing corps of border guards ready to be deployed wherever and whenever needed. The standing corps should reach its full capacity of 10,000 border guards by 2024.
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All this week's key European Commission announcements can be found here
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