The accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 raised the number of commissioners from 25 to 27, and after the accession of Croatia in 2013 the number of commissioners raised to 28. The United Kingdom left the EU on 31 January 2020, and did not nominate a commissioner when the Juncker Commission ended on 1 December 2019.
With the reelection of von der Leyen as president, the other 26 member states will submit names for her to assemble a Commission and assign portfolios, pending hearings in the Parliament and confirmation as a whole. She has asked for female and male candidates, as she did throughout her first commission.[citation needed]
A number of commissioners were formally nominated and assigned portfolios before being withdrawn after their hearing with the European Parliament, with the exception of Thorvald Stoltenberg, who withdrew after the rejection of Norway's accession referendum.[citation needed]
At the end of the Juncker Commission, some were initially named by the member states to succeed commissioners who took seats in the European Parliament before an agreement to not fill the seats under the start of the next commission.[citation needed]
The Von der Leyen I Commission requested member states name female and male candidates in order to have gender parity. She would then chose the one candidate to be formally nominated, or request new names. She usually continued her request for female and male candidates for vacancies throughout her first commission.[citation needed]
^ abcdMargrethe Vestager was on leave from 5 September 2023 – 8 December 2023 while being considered for President of the European Investment Bank. Věra Jourová served as Acting Commissioner for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Didier Reynders served as Acting Commissioner for Competition.
^Kuneva, now affiliated to the conservative grouping, was affiliated to the liberals during the Barroso I Commission.
^ abcdMariya Gabriel was on leave from 10 May 2023 – 15 May 2023 to participate in the government formation following the 2023 Bulgarian parliamentary election, and then resigned on 15 May 2023 to serve as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Initially, Margrethe Vestager served as Acting Commissioner for Innovation and Research and Margaritis Schinas served as Acting Commissioner for Culture, Education and Youth. When Vestager began her own leave on 5 September 2023, Schinas took over the whole portfolio until Iliana Ivanova took office.
^Kristalina Georgieva resigned on 1 January 2017 to serve as Chief Executive of the World Bank Group. Günther Oettinger assumed her portfolio for Budget and Human Resources, while Andrus Ansip served as Acting Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society (Oettinger's original portfolio) until Mariya Gabriel took office.
^Phil Hogan resigned on 26 August 2020. Dombrovskis served as Acting Commissioner until he was confirmed by the European Parliament on 12 October 2020.
^ abVirginijus Sinkevičius resigned on 16 July 2024 to serve as a Member of the European Parliament. Maroš Šefčovič serves as Acting Commissioner until the end of the Von der Leyen I Commission.
^Sinkevičius was a party member of LVŽS until 29 January 2022, after which he served as a member of DSVL.
^ abAdina-Ioana Vălean resigned on 15 July 2024 to serve as a Member of the European Parliament. Wopke Hoekstra serves as Acting Commissioner until the end of the Von der Leyen I Commission.
^The PNL party, now affiliated with the conservatives, was affiliated to the liberals during the Barroso I Commission.
^ abCrețu was a party member of the PSD (affiliated to the PES) until 17 January 2019, after which she served as a member of PRO (which has since also affiliated to the PES, but was then affiliated to the EDP–whose members mostly sit with the liberals in the European Parliament–but PRO members continued to sit with the socialists for the remainder of the Juncker Commission).
^Smer was suspended from the PES on 12 October 2023.
^John Dalli resigned on 16 October 2012 and Šefčovič served as Acting Commissioner until Tonio Borg took office.
^ abFrans Timmermans resigned on 22 August 2023 to campaign in the 2023 Dutch general election. Šefčovič served as Acting Commissioner of the European Green Deal and was confirmed by the European Parliament with its Executive Vice President rank on 5 October 2023. He also served as Acting Commissioner for Climate Action until Wopke Hoekstra took office.
^Lenarčič is affiliated to the liberals, while remaining nationally unaffiliated during his term in the Von der Leyen I Commission.
^Jacques Santer resigned on 16 March 1999 and Marín served as Acting President until Romano Prodi took office.
^The UK Conservative Party had previously been part of the EPP and joined the ECR on 1 October 2009.
^Trócsányi was rejected by the European Parliament.
^Plumb was initially named by the Romanian government as the female candidate for the Von der Leyen Commission, alongside Dan Nica, abiding by her request to achieve a gender parity. She was formally nominated by Von der Leyen but rejected by the European Parliament.
^Simson was nominated to complete the term of Andrus Ansip, who resigned on 1 July 2019 to take a seat in the European Parliament, without an assigned portfolio. However, it was agreed to let the seat remain vacant until the Von der Leyen I Commission began. Simson was then nominated and confirmed for a full term.
^Pașcu was nominated to complete the term of Corina Crețu, who resigned on 1 July 2019 to take a seat in the European Parliament, without an assigned portfolio. However, it was agreed to let the seat remain vacant until the Von der Leyen I Commission began.
^Szczerski was initially named by the Polish government, however after Von der Leyen indicated she preferred Poland take the Agriculture portfolio, he withdrew to allow another candidate, Janusz Wojciechowski, with more expertise to be formally nominated.
^Marques was initially named by the Portuguese government as the male candidate for the Von der Leyen Commission, alongside Elisa Ferreira, abiding by her request to achieve a gender parity. Ferreira went on to be formally nominated by Von der Leyen and approved by the European Parliament.
^Nica was initially named by the Romanian government as the male candidate for the Von der Leyen Commission, alongside Rovana Plumb, abiding by her request to achieve a gender parity. After Plumb went on to be formally nominated by Von der Leyen and subsequently rejected by the European Parliament, the Romanian government named Nica the male candidate, alongside Melania-Gabriela Ciot, with him as the leading candidate. However, he was denied by Von der Leyen.
^After Plumb's rejection by the European Parliament, the Romanian government named Ciot the female candidate, alongside Dan Nica, with her as the reserve candidate. However, she was denied by Von der Leyen.
^After Nica and Ciot were denied nomination by Von der Leyen, the Romanian government named Negrescu. However, he was also denied by Von der Leyen.
^After Negrescu was denied nomination by Von der Leyen, the Romanian government lost parliament's confidence and Mureșan was named by the new government alongside Adina-Ioana Vălean. Vălean went on to be formally nominated by Von der Leyen.
^After Phil Hogan left the Von der Leyen Commission, McDowell was initially named by the Irish government as the male candidate, alongside Mairead McGuinness as the female candidate. McGuinness went on to be formally nominated by Von der Leyen and confirmed by the European Parliament.
^After Mariya Gabriel left the Von der Leyen I Commission, Lorer was initially named by the Bulgarian government as the announced male candidate, alongside Iliana Ivanova as the female candidate. Ivanova went on to be formally nominated by Von der Leyen and confirmed by the European Parliament.
