Next commissioner "to focus solely on research, innovation and education" (K. Deketelaere, Leru)

"Ideally, the next commissioner should be able to focus solely on research, innovation, and education. No culture, no sports, no youth, nothing additional. The portfolio of Mariya Gabriel and Iliana Ivanova was just way too broad to devote enough attention to research, innovation and education", says Kurt Deketelaere, Leru's secretary general, to News Tank on 08/09/2024.

"From 01/12, everyone in our field needs to be prepared because there's going to be a lot happening, similar to the 'blitz start' we saw in 2019 when Ursula von der Leyen came up with the Green Deal within 100 days.

If we were to get a commissioner who knows little about the field and needs a year just to get familiar with everything and everyone, and understand what it's all about, that wouldn't be very encouraging. We need someone who's already on top of things and ready to take action right away."

Among the 26 candidates being considered, Kurt Deketelaere has "a clear preference. I would favour someone with deep experience and a solid understanding of the research, innovation and education challenges we…