Through the change, Jourova has moved up in the European Commission’s hierarchy. Credit: Forbes.cz.
Brussels, Sept 7 (CTK correspondent) – Czech EU Commissioner Vera Jourova will take over a large part of the portfolio of EU Competition Commissioner and Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, who recently announced her plan to run for the post of the European Investment Bank (EIB) president and is taking unpaid leave.
Jourova, the current EU commissioner for values and transparency, will now also be in charge of managing and coordinating the Digital Age Ready Europe program. She told Czech journalists that the new role will be a lot of work but she “is ready to take it on”.
Through the change, Jourova has also moved up in the European Commission’s hierarchy, which in practice means that she sits closer to EC head Ursula von der Leyen at the discussion table.
“I am taking over a huge part of Margrethe Vestager’s portfolio, which means that I will coordinate all matters related to the digital transformation, the regulation on artificial intelligence will need to be finalised, and I will also deal a lot with, let’s say, the promotion of European solutions for the digital world,” Jourova said.
She will be in charge of negotiations with China and the USA, among others, and will represent the EU at G7 meetings.
“And I will have something to promote there, because the European Union is a promoter of good and large investments in technology and in people,” she said. But at the same time, it will also be about regulations to limit the risks posed by these technologies, she added.
Jourova said she had mixed feelings about her new portfolio. She said she will miss Margrethe Vestager because they were not only colleagues but also friends.
“But at the same time, we are growing with our tasks, so I am ready to take it on,” she said.
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