Juncker takes another gamble
The choice of Šefčovič seems to have been influenced by Juncker’s desire to avoid a further protracted round of hearings that would delay the start-date of Juncker’s Commission, scheduled for 1 November.
"Everybody recognises him as competent and effective, so if he’s given charge of the important energy dossier that is good news because you need someone as experienced as him to handle this sensitive issue," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank in London.
Grant said that like Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia’s foreign minister, Šefčovič, "whatever his affiliation, has never been seen as following Fico’s strong political lines, insofar as [Fico] is seen as being close to Russia".