It consisted of one commissioner from each of the member states of the European Union – including Ursula von der Leyen, its president, who is from Germany.

(Andrej Babiš, then Czech Prime Minister, is a member of the ALDE but also of the Visegrad Four, which strongly opposed Timmermans because of his support for migration quotas and inability to reach compromises.

[5] When Ursula von der Leyen (EPP)'s name emerged as a potential candidate, it was a surprise and she faced many critics, mainly because she had not been a spitzenkandidat.

Von der Leyen faced many critics, especially among MEPs, since the European Council ignored the so-called spitzenkandidat system when choosing her for the position.

[7] The authors numbered the public pledges of national delegations and individual MEPs as amounting to 410, which is 27 more than what von der Leyen ultimately received.

Even before Von der Leyen's confirmation, she pledged to renominate Frans Timmermans, the spitzenkandidat of the Party of European Socialists as the First Vice President.

Margrethe Vestager, one of the leading candidates of the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE), was chosen as vice president as well, having de facto equal position to that of Timmermans.

Von der Leyen requested that member states each propose two candidates, a man and a woman, so it would be easier to form a gender-balanced commission.

Following her election, President of the European Council Donald Tusk asked von der Leyen to give her consent on appointing Josep Borrell of Spain as the next EU High Representative.

Consent was given on 26 July 2019, following which the European Council officially appointed Borrell as the next High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 5 August 2019.

Other commissioners-designate were approved by the committee, including Didier Reynders of Belgium (Justice) and Sylvie Goulard of France (Internal Market) who are under investigation by respective national authorities due to corruption allegations or misuse of EU money, according to one of the MEPs because the Committee does not have the authority to question candidates beyond facts stated in the declarations od interests.

[31] Following the vote, President-elect Von der Leyen asked the national governments of Romania and Hungary to propose new candidates.

[119] The United Kingdom left the European Union at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020, so the position of British commissioner remained vacant until its automatic abolition when Brexit occurred.

[120][121] Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Green Deal would be Europe's "man on the moon moment".

[123] Ursula von der Leyen praised the EU Asylum and Migration Pact as a "huge achievement for Europe".

[129] Critics have pointed out that by flying the geopolitical flag, von der Leyen has exposed the weaknesses of the EU as a whole in playing a decisive role at the high diplomatic table.

[131] In 2023, the Von der Leyen Commission and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi negotiated the creation of a "strategic partnership" between the EU and Egypt.

The Draghi report was announced in VDL's State of the Union 2023 address and presented a year later in September 2024, during the formation phase of Von der Leyen's second term college of commissioners.

[134] Speaking at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš criticised the von der Leyen Commission,[135] saying that it "continues to propose dangerous policies such as the ban on combustible engines in 2035, or carbon allowances for transport and individual housing.

"[136] Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the EU's carbon pricing system unfairly disadvantages poorer countries in Southern and Eastern Europe.

[137] In August 2023, the Polish government filed a series of complaints with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against provisions that are part of the Fit for 55 package, claiming that three EU climate policies threaten Poland's economy and energy security.