European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to assign the migration and home affairs portfolio to Austrian nominee Magnus Brunner was one of her most unexpected choices when deciding on the portfolios for her new College. Vienna’s recent tougher stance on EU migration policy, as well as Brunner’s own background, sprung to the fore. Austria was behind a long-standing veto against Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into the Schengen Area, and Vienna also voted against and abstained from some key laws in the migration pact passed at the end of the previous mandate. Furthermore, Brunne…