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Incoming EU chief again urges UK to nominate commissioner
BRUSSELS, Nov 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The incoming president of the European
Commission wrote to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a second time on
Tuesday to urge him to nominate a British commissioner, a spokeswoman said.
Ursula von der Leyen hopes to head a 28-strong team of top officials from
each of the EU member states in time for her commission to take office on
December 1.
But Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the bloc before January
31, is fighting a British election campaign on a pro-Brexit ticket and has
yet to respond.
Briefing reporters, von der Leyen spokeswoman Dana Spinant confirmed the
British government had not replied to an earlier urgent letter calling for a
nominee.
“This is the reason why this morning the president-elect has sent another
letter to the UK government reminding it of its legal obligations under the
treaty,” Spinant said.
In addition to his obligations under the EU treaty, Johnson also committed
to the principle that he must supply a nominee when he accepted an extension
to the Brexit deadline.
But, while British officials stress they will meet their “legal
obligations”, the government has not given any sign of who might be proposed
for an EU post.
“Time is running out. This is why the president-elect is expecting an
answer very soon to this second letter and at any rate before the end of this
week,” Spinant said.
After a tricky start that saw three of von der Leyen’s nominees rejected
by lawmakers, she now has 27 names from other EU states to bring before
parliament and is waiting on the last one to be suggested by London.
The commission’s investiture has already been delayed from November 1.
Officials refuse to say how they will proceed if Britain does not come up
with a nominee soon.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1910 hrs