Will it be a clear thing or will it still be close? After weeks of dispute, the European Parliament is voting today on the new EU Commission under the leadership of German President Ursula von der Leyen – and will thus decide whether it can start work on December 1st.
The influence of the 27 women and men on European politics is great, since in the EU only the Commission can propose laws and it also monitors whether the states comply with the laws. The Brussels authority with around 32,000 employees regulates many things that can play a role in the everyday life of almost 450 million EU citizens. The following ten people in particular could set important course in the coming years:
Kaja Kallas (47), High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy
Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, as the successor to Spaniard Josep Borrell, has the herculean task of making the EU more powerful in foreign policy. This is particularly challenging because of the unanimity principle and the different views of member states on further military support for Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. Kallas’ advantage is that politics was practically born in her cradle: her father, Siim Kallas, was formerly Estonia’s Prime Minister and EU Commissioner for many years. She also spent four years in Brussels – as a MEP from 2014 to 2018.
Raffaele Fitto (55) – Vice President, responsible for cohesion and reforms
Few things have been as controversial in Brussels in recent weeks as the personality of Raffaele Fitto. In the future, the Italian will be responsible as one of the vice presidents for billions in funding and reforms. Few people doubted his competence and pro-European orientation, but they did doubt his political convictions. The reason is that he belongs to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party. The Social Democrats and other left-of-center parties fought vigorously against a right-wing vice president, but without success.
Stéphane Séjourné (39) – Vice President, responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy
This is the Frenchman’s third post this year: Séjourné was initially chairman of the liberal Renew group in the EU Parliament before moving to Paris as foreign minister in January. Now he is supposed to go back to Brussels as EU Commissioner. The previous internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, was actually chosen as the French candidate. However, he threw in the towel in September due to differences with von der Leyen. In the future, Séjourné will play a key role in determining how Europe’s companies can be further strengthened in global competition.
Maroš Šefčovič (58) – Vice President in charge of trade and economic security
The Slovakian Maroš Šefčovič has been EU Commissioner since 2009 and is therefore one of the most experienced politicians in the team. Over the next five years, he will be responsible for managing the difficult trade relations with China and the USA and concluding new trade agreements. He will be particularly in demand if the USA, under the leadership of Donald Trump, introduces additional tariffs on products from the EU.
Andrius Kubilius (67) – Commissioner for Defense and Space
With the former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, there will be a defense commissioner in the EU for the first time – the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is likely to be a significant reason for this. However, soldiers are not subordinate to the 67-year-old. Rather, it should ensure that the European defense industry meets its needs and has enough money to expand its production capacities.
Olivér Várhelyi (52) – Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare
Because he is considered a confidant of the controversial Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the career diplomat Várhelyi is met with a lot of mistrust in Brussels. He was the only one who had to answer additional questions in writing in Parliament’s confirmation process. Ultimately, there is little doubt about his suitability for a commissioner post – Várhelyi is not new to Brussels, he was already a member of Ursula von der Leyen’s first commission and was responsible for neighborhood and enlargement.
Magnus Brunner (52) – Commissioner for Interior Affairs and Migration
The conservative Austrian Magnus Brunner is supposed to monitor the implementation of the EU asylum reform passed in the spring and present a new concept for the accelerated deportation of irregular immigrants. It will also be his job to improve the protection of the EU’s external borders. There is talk of increasing the standing reserve of the European Border and Coast Guard Frontex to 30,000 forces.
Teresa Ribera (55) – Vice President, responsible for competition policy and green transition
The Spaniard Teresa Ribera is supposed to guarantee fair competition in the European internal market and at the same time ensure that domestic companies can compete against competition from countries such as China and the USA – for example with the help of cheap energy from renewable sources. Politically, the socialist has recently had difficult weeks, with conservatives and right-wing MPs accusing her of making mistakes in dealing with the severe floods in the Spanish region of Valencia. She had to deal with these as Environment Minister.
Wopke Hoekstra (49) – Commissioner for Climate Protection
The new climate commissioner is also the old one. When Wopke Hoekstra succeeded Frans Timmermans in the middle of the last legislative period, there were initially doubts about his ambitions: the Dutchman had been employed by the oil company Shell in the past, among others. The skepticism has now subsided. Now Hoekstra will once again be responsible for implementing the “Green Deal”, with which the EU wants to become climate neutral by 2050. Climate protection is no longer likely to play as big a role as it did in the last legislative period. In particular, the ban on combustion engines, which is due to apply in the EU from 2035, is causing great discontent, meaning that Hoekstra could continue to be at the center of heated discussions.
Ursula von der Leyen (66), the president
A possible trade war with the USA and China, ongoing disputes over migration policy, unresolved financing issues and the uncertain outcome of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: the really big issues will continue to end up on the table of former German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. The CDU politician now has experience as Commission President: The mother of seven adult children, who comes from Lower Saxony, has already been in office for five years and sits at the table as an EU representative at almost all major international summits such as those of the G7 and G20 states . In the US magazine Forbes ranking, she is currently the “most powerful woman in the world”.
