Late on Wednesday, the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development approved Italy’s Raffaele Fitto as an executive vice president of the European Commission. He has responsibility for cohesion and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
At the same time, Spain’s Teresa Ribera received final approval from the ENVI, ECON, and ITRE Committees for her appointment as executive vice president for the clean, just, and competitive transition.
These decisions followed an agreement resolving earlier political vetoes concerning both candidates. Fitto, a leading member of Brothers of Italy (FdI) party had faced opposition from the Socialists and Democrats group due to his party’s stance on EU matters. This included the election of Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President.
Meanwhile, Ribera, Spain’s deputy prime minister responsible for ecological transition, had been opposed by the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) over her alleged role in the Valencia floods, which claimed over 220 lives.
Commenting on the approval, Premier Giorgia Meloni said Fitto’s confirmation as executive vice president is “a victory for all Italians, not for the government or any political faction.” She added, “This appointment reflects Italy’s renewed centrality in the European framework, as a founding EU state, the continent’s second-largest manufacturer, and its third-largest economy.”
The formalisation of these appointments will take place during a plenary session of the European Parliament on 27th November, where Members of the European Parliament will vote to endorse the new commissioners.
