Roxana Mînzatu was born on April 1, 1980 in Brasov, Romania. She graduated from Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University in 2005. She has been a member of the Social Democrat Party and member of the European Parliament since 2024. Earlier she served in Romania as Minister of European Funds (2019 – only during this year as the government was ousted by a non-confidence vote), and member of the House of Representatives (2016-2020). Before (from 2004 to 2006), she was employed at the Ministry of European Integration. She later worked as a manager and consultant for several projects, particularly those financed by the European Union. Her activities also included running a non-profit business school.
Her political career shows a constant development from the local level to the European level. She served as a member of the Brasov district council (2004–2008, 2011–2012, 2016). In 2015, she was appointed Secretary of State at the Ministry of European Funds, and then headed the National Agency for Public Procurement (ANAP).
Currently a member of the EP group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. Member of the Committee on Regional Development and of the Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Substitute member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, of the Committee on Petitions and of the Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee.
She still keeps a strong connection to Brasov, raising to European level has not made her cut her ties to her birth region. She is very much open to womens’ rights issues.
Confirmation in the European Parliament
There was no sign of any opposition towards her from other Romanian MEPs. It has been unlikely that her nomination would get into the crossfires of political attacks, and her auditions went on without any serious problems.
She will take office after the European Parliament confirms and the European Council appoints the new Commission, on the 1st of December 2024.
Future tasks and challenges
As the Executive Vice-President-designate for People, Skills, and Preparedness in the European Commission, her responsibilities will include overseeing various sectors such as employment, social affairs, culture, and education. She will also be involved in funding programs like the European Social Fund Plus, the Social Climate Fund, and Erasmus+.
Additionally, her main tasks will be to strengthen the European Pillar of Social Rights, support social policies, and ensure that Europe is prepared for future challenges. This includes working on the green and digital transitions, and promoting social market economy principles. All of these will result in several challenges in her new role, the most important being the following.
She will have to find a way to balance social and economic goals, and try to ensure that the EU’s social policies (if any) do align with the economic growth and sustainability wished to be achieved. Making sure that the implementation is effective and delivering on the commitments of the European Pillar of Social Rights will require intense cooperation and coordination with member states, social partners, and other stakeholders under not-so-favourable political circumstances.
Additional tasks will be present with addressing employment and skills gaps: she will have to coordinate the endeavours of tackling unemployment, skills mismatches, and labour market inequalities, especially in the context of the green and digital transitions, which means a combination of “old” and “new” challenges in the area of labour – on a field, which is mainly in member state competence.
One of her major responsibilities will be the management of various European funding programmes, most importantly the European Social Fund Plus, the Social Climate Fund, and Erasmus+. Someone with her understanding and practice of EU funding will certainly be able to handle this vast task.
Politics over policy may definitely be different: navigating constantly changing political dynamics will require her working with various political groups, member states and institutions to achieve consensus on social policies and initiatives will not be an easy task. It does not only require strong negotiation and diplomacy skills (which the candidate surely has), but some luck as well with member states, and sometimes also the coordination of cooperation of various Directorate-Generals of the European Commission. The same goes to the task of responding to various crises, like economic downturns, health emergencies, or natural disasters.
European prospects of the candidate
The complexity of the portfolio surely requires a complex set of skills with the candidate: a combination of strategic vision, effective communication, and political support. The latter seems solid not only from Ursula von der Leyen but also from the member states.
Additionally, her appointment sends a strong message that a woman also from an Eastern European member state can achieve a top political position in today’s European Union. As such, her success at the position is not only a personal ambition but could also have an important effect on the development of the whole community.