European Commission chief unveils new team amid mounting challenges
President Ursula von der Leyen has presented a long-awaited list of nominees to make up the next European Commission.
After long-winded, and often bad-tempered, negotiations with member states, von der Leyen presented her selections on Tuesday. The new European Union executive will lead the bloc for the next five years as it faces challenges including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, migration, climate change, and economic competitiveness.
The appointees, over many of which there has been significant debate, must be confirmed by the European Parliament in a process that could extend to late October.
The “core priorities” of the new team were built around “prosperity, security, and democracy”, the president told reporters in Strasbourg.
“This happens against a backdrop of competitiveness that we need for the twin transition: the decarbonisation and digitalisation of our economies,” she said.
While climate change remained a key topic, von der Leyen said, security and competitiveness “have much more impact on the composition and the design” of her new team compared with her first term.
Russian neighbours
With a focus on the security challenges posed by Russia, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas was given the nod to take charge of foreign policy.
Another experienced Baltic official, Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius, was presented as the EU’s first defence commissioner. In the new role, he will be charged with building up Europe’s military manufacturing capacity as Brussels struggles to keep up with pledges to arm Ukraine.
The nominee from another Russian neighbour, Finland, was also handed a weighty portfolio. Henna Virkkunen will take on an umbrella role, including security and technology.
That will likely see cooperation with Spain’s Teresa Ribera, who will be the bloc’s next antitrust chief. The EU has led in seeking to police the power of big tech and other operators of social media.
One of her biggest challenges will be to ensure that Amazon, Apple, Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft and Meta comply with landmark rules aimed at reining in their power and giving consumers more choices. Apple, Google and Meta are firmly in outgoing EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s crosshairs for falling short of complying with the Digital Markets Act.
France’s Stephane Sejourne will be a leading figure in seeking to boost European competitiveness as he oversees industrial strategy. A recent report insisted that Europe must embark on a massive investment drive if its economy is to keep pace with the United States and China. Slovakia’s Maros Sefcovic will oversee trade policy.
Among six commission vice presidents is Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, who was handed the cohesion and reforms brief.
The prospect of giving a top role to a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist Brothers of Italy party has raised hackles among centrist and left-wing groups. However, the appointment is a nod to gains made by far-right parties in June’s EU elections.
Meloni said Fitto’s appointment as a vice president “confirms the newfound central role of our nation in the EU”.
Opposition has also been rife over von der Leyen’s demand that member states present at least one female nominee.
She noted that 11, or 40 percent, of the proposed commissioners, are women.
“When I received the first set of nominations and candidates, we were on track for around 22 percent women and 78 percent men. That was unacceptable,” von der Leyen said.
Send a message
Each new commissioner will need to pass a hearing in the European Parliament, expected in the coming weeks. EU lawmakers will attempt to extract promises from the nominees on what they will deliver if they get the job.
The parliament’s right to block appointees leaves Hungary’s Oliver Varhelyi exposed to likely pressure during his hearing.
The nominee of Prime Minister Viktor Orban was handed a diminished role in the new lineup with the health and animal welfare portfolio, but MEPs may still seek to send a message to Budapest’s illiberal leader.
