VALVERDE (EL HIERRO), 30 Aug. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Third Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, remarked this Friday on the “immense privilege” that her nomination as EU Commissioner proposed by the Spanish Government signifies.
Addressing journalists from El Hierro, where she participated in the celebration of the tenth anniversary of ‘Gorona del Viento’ and toured the ‘Sea of Calm’, she expressed that she is eager for the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to complete her team. Ribera asserted that she is “thrilled” about the opportunity to contribute to building a “better Europe”.
She emphasised that “Europe is a collective endeavour of peace, prosperity, well-being and opportunity, which necessitates a commitment from various European institutions, including the College of Commissioners.” In this context, she described the political strategy presented by the Commission’s President following her re-election last month as “incredibly successful.”
Ribera maintained that it demonstrated that “the European dream, this ambition for collective prosperity, also demands a revision of many of the principles in industrial and economic policy, alongside the capability to provide greater integration for Europeans that equips us to respond collectively to the three significant challenges we currently face.”
She stated that she feels “thoroughly represented” by Von der Leyen’s discourse and recognises that she must now await the final nomination, admitting that it is “challenging” for her to remain neutral, as she had intended.
“There are significantly more candidates suggested by governments who are men rather than women, but evidently, we are at a juncture in which she is undoubtedly engaging with governmental leaders to determine how she will ultimately structure her proposal. Once we have that information, we will proceed based on the mandate of the portfolio she eventually assigns to me,” she said.
Ribera also indicated that she will propose her own initiatives and subsequently present them to the “democratic and transparent” process of the European Parliament, where “accountability” is ensured by the College of Commissioners, through written inquiries and public hearings with parliamentary groups.
