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The next European Commission, to be led by Ursula von der Leyen, will almost certainly not be able to take office as scheduled at the start of next month, after the European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected Sylvie Goulard, the French nominee to be commissioner responsible for the EU's internal market, industrial policy and defense.
Compounding von der Leyen's problems, Romania's government collapsed, making it unclear when Bucharest would be able to replace its Commission nominee, Rovana Plumb, who has also been rejected by the Parliament.
The rejection of Goulard, herself a former member of the European Parliament, was a stunning and embarrassing blow for French President Emmanuel Macron, who put her forward despite clear vulnerabilities, including investigations in Brussels and Paris over alleged financial misconduct.
Macron had also used his own political muscle to ensure the prominent, sprawling, portfolio for Goulard oversaw the internal market — the rules and regulations of the European economy — as well as industrial and defense policy, two top priorities for Paris.
It was also a stinging defeat for von der Leyen, a former German defense minister and the first woman to be chosen as Commission president. Goulard is a personal friend of the president-elect — and could have become one of von der Leyen's closest and most trusted allies in Brussels. In addition, von der Leyen's goal of forming a gender-balanced Commission is also now at risk. [...]