Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EU Commission, heads up the EU’s executive arm. When he’s incapacitated his duties are carried out by one of his seven deputies, and they have been ranked in order of preference. Katainen's advisers say the document is just a draft, that no final decision has yet been made, and that the order will only be clear after the Commission's first meeting.
A document containing that ranking has been leaked to the Financial Times, and it does not make happy reading for Finland’s Jyrki Katainen—he’s last on the list. Frans Timmermans is first, with even Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis ranking above Katainen.
Where the EU’s external representation is concerned, Katainen is seventh—the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini steps in at the top ahead of Timmermans.
Katainen is a vice-chair of the Commission with responsibility for employment and growth. He quit his post as Prime Minister of Finland in the summer in order to target a top job on the international stage.
The document leaked to the FT is here.
