Hoekstra expected to replace Timmermanns
The Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra is on track to become the EU’s next Commissioner for Climate Action, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday. The recommendation will now be passed on to EU member states and the European Parliament for their consent. Hoekstra is set to replace his compatriot Frans Timmermans, who has been a strong climate spokesman for the Commission. A Social Democrat, Timmermans has announced that he will stand in this autumn’s elections in the Netherlands. “Hoekstra showed a strong motivation to get the post and a great commitment to the EU,” von der Leyen said in a statement. The 47-year-old conservative Dutchman has been foreign minister of the Netherlands and deputy prime minister since 2022. He is a former Minister of Finance. If appointed, it will only be until next summer when a new Commission is to be appointed following the European elections in May next year. /ritzau/