President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker today sent the list of Commissioners-designate to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in his capacity as President of the Council of the European Union.

This follows a series of interviews President-elect Juncker held with each of the candidates for Commissioner, over the past few days, and the proposal for appointment, on 30 August, of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Next Steps:

The Council of the European Union must now agree to this list, in accordance with Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), after which the list will be published in the Official Journal of the EU (the EU's Statute Book). Thereafter, President-elect Juncker intends to announce the distribution of portfolios and the way he intends to organise the work of the next European Commission. This is not expected until mid-next week.

In a next step, the European Parliament has to give its consent to the entire College of Commissioners, including the President and the High-Representative Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. This is preceded by hearings of the Commissioners-designate in the relevant parliamentary committees, in line with Rule 118 of the Parliament's Rules of Procedure. Once the European Parliament has given its consent, the European Council formally appoints the European Commission, in line with Article 17(7) TEU.