Vulcan View: The latest EU developments 14 October – 18 October

Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for People, Skills, and Preparedness

Romania’s initial nominee, Victor Negrescu, was withdrawn following von der Leyen’s tempting offer of a more esteemed portfolio to countries that nominated a female candidate. In response, Romania proposed Roxana Mînzatu, thereby securing a Vice-President position.

Roxana Mînzatu has been appointed Executive Vice-President for People, Skills, and Preparedness, with additional responsibilities for quality jobs. A long-standing member of the Social Democratic Party since her time at the University of Bucharest, where she earned a BA in political science, Mînzatu later completed an MA in European Integration at Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University in 2005.

Roxana Mînzatu’s political career began when she became a member of her local Brasov district council from 2004-2008 and again in 2011 and 2012. Before becoming State Secretary in the Ministry of European Funds in 2015, Mînzatu took the role of executive manager at the Brasov Branch of the Romanian Business School. Elected to the Romanian Parliament in 2016 as a representative for Brasov, she later reached the peak of her political career in Romania by becoming the Minister of European Funds and most recently served as a Member of the European Parliament.

People, Skills and Preparedness

Roxana Mînzatu will play a key role in enhancing Europe’s human capital by fostering the development of people and reinforcing the EU’s social model. In collaboration with other commissioners, she will focus on implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, addressing skills and workforce shortages by improving access to education and training. Additionally, Mînzatu will work to ensure generational fairness by promoting equality and building a culture of preparedness, enabling citizens to adapt to societal changes and emerging risks.

European Pillar of Social Rights

Mînzatu will oversee efforts to ensure the EU’s social market economy supports the transformation of its industries and societies, completing the Single Market and delivering quality jobs. She will also focus on fostering greater equality and lifting more people out of poverty. She will present a new Action Plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2025, as well as a new Pact for European Social Dialogue. Other pivotal initiatives under her leadership will include an EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, a European Affordable Housing Plan, the right to disconnect, a strengthened Child Guarantee to prevent social exclusion and new ways to facilitate labour mobility further.

A Union of Skills

Lastly, Roxana Mînzatu will be responsible for creating a “Union of Skills” by promoting investment, lifelong learning, skill retention and enhanced skills intelligence. Mînzatu has been tasked with continuing work on the European Education Area, the European Degree and the European Universities Alliances to promote skills development, learning mobility and inclusiveness. She will also prepare a Skills Portability Initiative and develop an Action Plan on Basic Skills and a STEM Education Strategic Plan, which will include a roadmap for the future of digital education and training.

Conclusion

In her new role, Roxana Mînzatu will be instrumental in advancing Europe’s social and economic future by fostering skills development, addressing labour gaps, and promoting social equality. Her leadership will carry initiatives that strengthen human capital, enhance education and training, and build a more inclusive, prepared, and resilient European society.

Minister Chambers unveiled Ireland’s medium-term fiscal and structural plan and draft budgetary plan

Speaking on the publication, required under the EU’s revised fiscal governance framework, Minister Chambers indicated that the plan “reiterates that the Irish economy is in a reasonably healthy position”. At the same time, he highlighted that the underlying budgetary position is markedly less favourable than the headline balance meaning “further progress will need to be made regarding future structural challenges.”

Minister Chambers outlined how the new plans would evaluate expenditure growth from the base of all general government spending, both voted and non-voted. This will result in a higher growth in spending volume but a lower growth in percentage terms. Additionally, while Ireland’s calculations excluded specific spending plans for the Apple tax money and sale of AIB shares, the plan outlined the government’s three budgetary priorities. These are centred around the need to provide additional public services, financing additions to the public capital stock, and preparing for longer-term fiscal challenges.

In the report, the government has committed to grow spending until the end of the decade at a rate of 5% annually. This is interesting given that, following the announcement of Budget 2025, there was a net spending increase of 9.2% for 2024 and 5.8% for 2025. Ireland’s fiscal watchdog, IFAC, warned that by doing this, the government would be “repeating past mistakes” and adding approximately “€1,000 to the cost of a typical household’s yearly outgoings”. The report highlighted how business spending has been volatile in H1 2024, mostly due to highly concentrated machinery and equipment investment in the multinational sector, which is expected to make an adverse contribution in H2 2024.

As we approach the upcoming general election, it’s worth noting that when a new Irish government comes into office, it will have the opportunity to submit updated projections. While these may not significantly deviate from the current proposals, it’s a development that will be closely monitored by Vulcan Consulting for any implications of relevance.

What happened at the MED9 leaders’ summit in Paphos?

Amid rising global tensions, the Summit of Southern European Union countries, also known as MED9, was hosted by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on October 11 in Paphos, a city in western Cyprus. The summit gathered Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The nine countries used the summit to coordinate their actions and priorities, focusing on developments in the Mediterranean region and the resulting political, economic, and social pressures as the EU enters a new institutional cycle. In addition, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II were in attendance.

During the summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni organised a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen discussing the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region. Presidents von der Leyen and Christodoulides reiterated that migration is a main priority of Mediterranean countries and a challenge that requires a “European” approach and solution. Christodoulides called for effective implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum while addressing the root causes of illegal immigration through a partnership with the transit and origin countries’ migrants. Ms. Von der Leyen said that “the Mediterranean will receive particular attention in her second mandate as head of the Commission.”

As the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon grows into a greater concern, President Christodoulides reaffirmed the common goal of the Member States is a solution leading to a viable and long-lasting peace in the region. Christodoulides called for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the release of all hostages and the provision of unimpeded humanitarian assistance” while safeguarding the sovereignty of Israel and Lebanon. In this light, Christodoulides, working with King Abdullah II of Jordan, identified new ways for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, in addition to the Cyprus maritime corridor “Amalthea” which remains a reliable option. President von der Leyen also met King Abdullah II in a bilateral meeting, after which she described Jordan “as a friend of the EU, a strategic partner, and a critical player in the context.”

This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Turkish military intervention in Cyprus, resulting in the ongoing de facto division of the island. President Christodoulides spoke on the need to reunite the Republic of Cyprus on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and according to EU principles and values. President Von der Leyen expressed the EU’s intention to remain fully supportive of Cyprus’ efforts to resume peace talks to resolve this issue so long as they take place within the UN framework.

In conclusion, the MED9 Leaders’ Summit underscored the pressing challenges facing the Mediterranean region, reaffirming their commitments to cooperation and coordination with the EU framework, particularly in addressing these shared concerns. The summit highlighted migration challenges, the importance of EU-Jordan relations, especially relating to humanitarian assistance to the region, and Cyprus’ continued trouble grappling with the Turkish occupation. The MED9 summit served as a platform for dialogue and action to promote stability and security in the Mediterranean.

Compliments of Vulcan Consulting – a member of the EACCNY