BRUSSELS — The frontrunner for the trade portfolio in the next European Commission is now Czech nominee Jozef Síkela, instead of Dutch commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, an EU diplomat and an official told POLITICO. 

“The Czech Republic has aimed for a strong economic portfolio, and trade fits indeed very well into this definition,” said one Czech official. 

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had been expected to unveil her new team on Wednesday, assigning roles to the 26 nominees put forward by EU member countries. But she requested a delay at the last minute, pending the parliamentary confirmation of Marta Kos, a replacement candidate from Slovenia.

Amid intense lobbying for top economic posts, the candidacy of the Czech minister for industry and trade appears to be gaining momentum, according to the people POLITICO spoke with, who were all granted anonymity to discuss the confidential talks. After being initially tipped for the (smaller) energy portfolio, thanks to his work negotiating Europe’s response to soaring energy prices, Síkela’s name is increasingly being linked to one of the Commission’s most important roles: trade.

The lineup of the next European Commission is still taking shape, with von der Leyen taking another week to consult with EU countries, her commissioners and others about the distribution of the top jobs.

Dutch commissioner Wopke Hoekstra is seen as a valuable and competent commissioner who enjoys von der Leyen’s trust. | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images

Czech European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák took to state TV over the weekend to say that Síkela, who hails from von der Leyen’s center-right European People’s Party, was tipped to be the next trade commissioner. 

“I confirm that this is the narrative or possibility at the moment,” Dvořák said on Sunday, adding that “the situation could still change.”

The French exception

The trade scenario could indeed still face opposition from France. 

Parachuting Síkela into the top energy job was a preferred outcome for Paris, given Prague’s pro-nuclear stance, according to two French officials. Sikela contrasts sharply with the current frontrunner for that post, Spain’s Teresa Ribera, who is known as a hard-line nuclear skeptic. 

When it comes to trade policy, the Czech Republic is among the EU countries that lean toward supporting free trade. Industry accounts for almost 30 percent of the Central European nation’s economy — the highest in the EU — while exports amount to a whopping 72 percent of GDP.

Having a trade czar from such an open economy could well trigger insecurity among the bloc’s more protectionist nations, however.

It’s unclear, meanwhile, what post Hoekstra is being lined up for. The former finance minister is seen as a valuable and competent commissioner who enjoys von der Leyen’s trust, after filling in capably as climate commissioner for Frans Timmermans, who resigned a year ago to run in last year’s Dutch general election.

Luxembourg’s Christophe Hansen is also in the frame to snatch the trade job, although the center-right MEP is also favored to land the agriculture portfolio. 

And although outgoing Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has been nominated for another term by Latvia, he has made it clear he would like to be assigned a new beat, and has been linked to a senior role covering EU enlargement and the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Nicolas Camut, Victor Jack, Ketrin Jochecová and Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled Jozef Síkela’s name.