Christophe Hansen (picture), a former member of the European Parliament’s trade committee, has been nominated as Luxembourg’s next European Commissioner. The politician has a background in trade and environmental policy and may reportedly be considered to become the EU’s new Agriculture Commissioner.
Reflecting on his nomination, Hansen stated, “I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and will do everything I can to serve our European interests.”
Honoured and humbled to have received the trust of @LucFrieden and the Luxembourgish government to be nominated as candidate to serve in the team of @vonderleyen in the next @EU_Commission . https://t.co/zYV6L2tOGa
— Christophe Hansen (@CHansenEU) August 22, 2024
Hansen has been a prominent figure in the European Parliament, particularly known for his work on the EU’s deforestation regulation, where he acted as the rapporteur in rolling out policies aimed at reducing deforestation, which however also strained relations between the EU and important trading partners.
The EPP has vowed to postpone the new regulation, fearing the accompanying bureaucracy. German long serving MEP Peter Liese, commented in June that recent contact with officials “at all levels” in the European Commission had shown him “everybody is aware that we have a problem that cannot be solved without postponement”. Estimating the duration of the delay, he stated: “I would consider two years a reasonable time.”
Now also Czechia has asked the European Commission to delay the application of the EU’s new anti-deforestation law, arguing that its impact on businesses is unclear. According to the Czech Agriculture Ministry , businesses are unprepared as they lack information about the conditions they need to meet:
“The impact on individual companies and supply chains is difficult to estimate at this time. In order to minimise potential negative effects, the Commission needs to publish and give sufficient time for all actors to familiarise themselves with the key tools needed to implement the Regulation.” Apart from Czechia, also Austria, Finland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden have previously sought to postpone the legislation.
Czechia renews calls to postpone EU anti-deforestation law https://t.co/Uqlpp05Gnq
— Euractiv (@Euractiv) August 28, 2024
Furthermore, not only did the United States ask to postpone the deforestation law. The also issue drove palm oil-exporting countries Malaysia and Indonesia to freeze trade talks with the EU in 2023, over its outright refusal to recognize their standards for preventing deforestation, overlooking that an estimated 93% of palm oil imported into Europe is sustainable and does not contribute to deforestation, unlike alternatives like soy, which require significantly more land, pesticides, and energy.
The EU also continued with its regulation, despite environmental protection NGOs like Global Forest Watch reporting in 2023 a sharp reduction in forest loss in both Malaysia and Indonesia. This is the result of policies making sure that about 83% of palm oil refining capacity is now operating under a ‘No Deforestation, Peat and Exploitation (NDPE)’ commitment. It also follows regulatory efforts to restrict the area for oil palm at 6.5 million hectares in 2023 as well as new forestry laws in 2022 which strengthened penalties for illegal logging.
The EU’s policies contrast with the British approach, whereby the UK government decided to treat Malaysian standards as equivalent, something which helped the UK to enter the new transpacific trade deal CPTPP, which covers around 15 percent of global GDP.
A big portfolio for a small member state?
There are other reasons why the prospect of Hansen securing the influential trade commissioner portfolio has raised eyebrows among certain EU insiders. Typically, larger member states are expected to claim the most high-profile positions within the European Commission, particularly the trade portfolio, which oversees the EU’s vast network of trade agreements and negotiations.
Luxembourg, though a key player in areas such as finance, is considered a smaller EU member, and its bid for such a significant post is seen as ambitious. Hansen acknowledged this sentiment, noting:
“It’s true that Luxembourg is a small country, but we have always punched above our weight in the EU, and I believe we have a strong case to make.”
Hansen’s nomination comes at a critical juncture for the EU, with the bloc facing numerous challenges, including managing its trade relations with major global partners like the United States and China, as well as navigating internal divisions over trade policy. If appointed as Trade Commissioner, Hansen would be tasked with steering the EU through these turbulent waters, a role that requires both diplomatic finesse and a commitment to the EU’s strategic interests.
Copyright picture: Tammy Schmit, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons