Can An Unpopular Orban Ally Oversee The EU’s Health Policy?

Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to nominate Olivér Várhelyi raised many an eyebrow in Brussels — and elicited a couple of hearty chuckles.

When the European Commission president made the announcement during a press conference in Strasbourg earlier this month, it drew laughter from journalists and sent EU-themed meme-making social media accounts into overdrive.

Várhelyi, a former Commissioner for enlargement, was Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s preferred candidate for a second term. However, given Várhelyi's contentious reputation and the ongoing tensions between Brussels and Budapest on several issues, von der Leyen, in the end, did her best amid what turned into a very delicate situation.

Euronews health reporter Marta Marta Iraola Iribarren is here to tell Radio Schuman more about the key controversial aspects of this nomination.

There's also a quick overview of the agenda in Brussels, including a European Court of Justice ruling on Catalan leaders Carles Puigdemont and Antoni Comín, yet another discussion in Brussels on Mario Draghi's report, and finally, the nominations for the European Parliament's top human rights prize are about to be made public. 

In the final part of our show, we talk about a new study that predicts a sharp increase in the number of children affected by nearsightedness by 2050. Spoiler alert: the figure exceeds half a billion.

Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.

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