Breton to Bank of America, Gentiloni to UN panel of experts: where did the members of the von der Leyen I EU Commission end up

Brussels – Thierry Breton becoming an adviser to Bank of America is causing a stir. The former European commissioner for Industry has built a new professional life for himself after his time in the first von der Leyen Commission, which, some say, clashes with the role of promoter of strategic autonomy that the Frenchman had championed. The lending institution is not one of the lesser ones, and some think this may echo what happened with Josè Manuel Barroso, who moved to Goldman Sachs after his stint as the head of the European Commission. The new von der Leyen Commission cannot object, however, since under the tenure agreement, it will seek Breton’s advice no more than three times a year, and for that, he will receive only expense reimbursement.

Breton is not the only member of the outgoing college who has carved out a new life for himself. Virtually all former commissioners already have new assignments, all approved by the von der Leyen Commission. Frans Timmermans, the ‘frontman’ of the Green Deal, who left well before the European elections, is now the leader of the Dutch Labour Party in the national parliament.

Vera Jourova (former commission vice president for Values and Transparency) was president of the Vaclav Havel National Library, a role she later left to become an advisor to the president of the Czech Republic. Elisa Ferreira (Cohesion) went to the University of Oporto, where she teaches at the Faculty of Economics. Margrethe Vestager also made a choice, the university one. ‘The Competition Lady’ is now at the Technical University of Denmark.

The academic career also distinguishes the new life of Paolo Gentiloni, who has gone from head of Economics to doctoral fellow at IE University (Institudo de Empresa), a private Spanish university. A commitment to which he also added membership in the United Nations Expert Group on the Debt Crisis. In this capacity, as an associate to the UN world, Gentiloni shares similar post-EU choices as Josep Borrel, former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, now at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA).

It took Johannes Hahn nothing to go from setting and managing the common budget to the corporate world. Today, the Austrian works at the Federation of Austrian Industries. Health, on the other hand, remains the domain of Stella Kyriakides. With a degree in psychology, the former health commissioner and one of the primary people responsible for managing the not-so-easy COVID crisis is now at the European School of Oncology.

Mariya Gabriel went from research commissioner to Robert Schuman Institute president. Ylva Johansson made an interesting post-commission choice. The former commissioner for Home Affairs is currently a member of the board of Hammarby, Stockholm’s multi-sport club known for its soccer section, in which star Zlatan Ibrahimovich is a shareholder (25 percent stake).