Who is the EC’s new health and Animal Welfare commissioner Olivér Várhelyi?

Last week, the European Union announced the line-up of its new commission following the elections in June.

Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi has been named the Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner.

Who is Olivér Várhelyi?​Olivér Várhelyi is a Hungarian politician and member of Patriots for Europe, a hard-right group in the EU. In Hungary, he is a member of Fidesz, the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

His academic and political background is in law. After completing a law degree at Hungary’s University of Szeged, he served as head of the legal service at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union, following which he was head of the European Union Law Department at Hungary’s Ministry of Justice.  

Following this, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative and then Permanent Representative to the EU for Hungary. He was the EU’s Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, a role which focused on expansion of EU membership and relations between the bloc and potential future members.  

What does he believe?​Várhelyi has little experience in roles explicitly related to health policy or the food industry, his interaction with these areas mostly pertains to investment in potential EU members.

For example, he held a key role in EU investment into potential future members, such as Ukraine​. This includes investment into agri-food and support for food security, which Várhelyi has backed. He has also been a voice in EU efforts to mitigate high food prices which resulted from the war in Ukraine.

Furthermore, according to the EU, a key part of Várhelyi’s prior portfolio in Neighbourhood and Enlargement is examining potential countries’ agriculture for their ability to integrate into the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Várhelyi does not have experience in animal welfare. Some groups, such as EU for Animals, have expressed concern at the appointment, saying Várhelyi’s stance on vital issues are unknown.  

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) were approving Várhelyi’s title included ‘animal welfare,’ which had not previously been included in any brief by a commissioner. However, they had similar lack of clarity on the animal rights position of Várhelyi himself.

“We will follow the parliamentary hearings with great interest to get a sense of his personal view of what the animal welfare priorities should be and to obtain more details on the legislative proposals stemming from his mission letter,” said Vinciane Patelou, the organisation’s head of EU.

“We are particularly keen to ensure that the proposals to ban cages, which have been supported by 1.4m EU citizens and supported by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, are published as soon as possible and by 2026 at the very latest.”

What challenges does he face?​In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, public heath has become more central to policy than it has for many years. Várhelyi must ensure the EU is robust in the face of threats to it. 

In a mission letter from commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Várhelyi was urged to step up the EU’s work on preventative health, reducing the impact of non-communicable diseases.

He is tasked with continuing to work on anti-microbial resistance (AMR)​ as one of the major threats to health that the EU currently faces.

He is also tasked with preventing and reducing food waste, as well as improving the sustainability, affordability and safety of food production more generally, both through the use of organic production and bio-controls (a method of controlling pests using their natural enemies).

He will also be in control of the enforcement of food safety standards, including for imported products.

On the animal welfare side, he is tasked with modernising the legislation on animal welfare, including the importing of exotic animals. Von der Leyen’s mission letter did not mention cage farming.