… easy to freeze out
Ultimately, whether Várhelyi continues to hold power at Berlaymont is largely in his own hands.
According to the commissioner who did not want to be named to speak openly, the commissioners cannot be removed, but if they start working against their country of origin – for example, if the direction of the government changes back home – they can be excluded and lose trust with the university.
Indeed, if Brussels has learned anything over the years, it is that a commissioner need not be removed to be ineffective.
Take Janusz Wojciechowski, Poland’s agricultural commissioner, appointed in 2019 and the national government of Law and Justice. When Donald Tusk’s EU-backed coalition took power at the end of 2023, Warsaw changed course, but Wojciechowski remained in office until November 2024.
He was ready cut the Commission’s biggest policy battle. Starting early in von der Leyen’s first mandate, key files, including the agricultural dimension of the Green Deal, were redirected.
In the end, his role had dwindled to the brink. Meetings were held without him. Decisions moved forward without his input. What remains is a long tail of work. He focused on providing EU subsidies, often by looking at the farmers in his country of Polandand mention the statistics of farms. He also posted – a lot – on social media, including topics such as road safety that had little to do with his portfolio.
