The former Latvian Prime Minister is in line for a role as Executive Vice President of the Commission with a brief labelled "An Economy that Works for People".
His statement is being heard by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) in association with the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) of the European Parliament in Brussels to test his general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to his portfolio.
In her invitation to him to join her team, president-elect Ursula von der Leyen told Dombrovskis:
"I would like to entrust you with the role of Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People. Europe’s social market economy helps ensure that social fairness and prosperity go hand in hand. We should preserve and improve this unique model, which puts people’s welfare above all else. This is all the more important at a time when we are redesigning our industry and economy in line with societal, environmental and technological changes.
As Executive Vice-President, you will have a dual function. You will chair the Commissioners’ Group on an Economy that Works for People, leading the work on deepening our Economic and Monetary Union. You will also be responsible for the financial services portfolio. In leading the work on an Economy that Works for People, you will ensure all policy dimensions are fully taken into account."
Valdis Dombrovskis, born on 5 August 1971 in Riga, is a Latvian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009 and has served as both Finance Minister and PRime Minister of his country. You can see his CV in the attachment.
After the hearing by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.
The grilling starts at 09:00 Brussels time / 10:00 Rīga time and can be watched live on the European Parliament website.
