Let’s hope the former Finance Minister has done his homework.
Tongues wagged in Brussels earlier this year after Magnus brinner was handed the immigration and internal affairs portfolio earlier this year, due to his limited experience on the matter.
But he just might be what the European Commission is looking for. In recent weeks, its President, Ursula von der Leyen, extolled the virtues of deportations, limiting arrivals to Europe’s borders and expanding relationships with non-European Union countries to keep migrants at bay.
Brunner’s own government has posited a strict perspective on travel restrictions within the EU, including blocking Romania and Bulgaria’s integration into the Schengen area.
All eyes are on Brunner’s hearing as he tackles what could be the thorniest issue for the Commission for the next five years.