The changes at the top of the Commission, introduced when von der Leyen started her second term in December 2024, reflect a broader political shift away from environmental topics — the Green Deal having been a key part of her first term — toward business and defense. The Commission now has its first commissioner dedicated to defense issues, while many European governments have shifted to the political right.
As a result, said Sven Harmeling, head of climate at civil society organization CAN Europe, “sometimes it’s not clear which DGs [directorates-general, or departments] are involved,” which “creates challenges in terms of understanding where some of the discussions are.”
One Brussels-based consultant who represents corporate clients, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said: “I think the structure [problem] is a Green Deal issue” rather than one that affects industry or other areas, adding that in their specialist area of health, “things have not changed that much.”
Asked about Internal Market Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné’s meetings with businesses, a member of his team said bluntly: “The fact that the commissioner in charge of the industry is meeting primarily the industry representatives seems a bit self-explanatory.”
Who you gonna call?
The structure that von der Leyen put in place when she secured a second term atop the Commission has six executive vice presidents, who are meant to coordinate and oversee the work of other commissioners (under EU law, all commissioners are supposed to be equal).
In von der Leyen’s first term it was fairly obvious whom to approach if your focus was climate: Green Deal architect Frans Timmermans and his team. Now, according to Mike Walker, a lobbyist working mainly on climate issues, it’s more ambiguous: Timmermans’ successor, EVP Teresa Ribera, is also responsible for competition policy.