This morning, Ursula von der Leyen presented, at a press conference in Strasbourg, the names and delegations that will make up the new European Commission.. It will be composed of eleven women, equal to 40% of the entire team. Initial proposals from member states envisaged a quota of women of 22%. “This was completely unacceptable,” von der Leyen stressed, acknowledging that, despite the progress, there is “still a lot of work to do.”
The EPP will be the most represented party in the next Commission. In the proposal of the designated members presented by Ursula von der Leyen, the People’s Party commissioners are 14, excluding von der Leyen herself. Instead, there are five Liberal members, who will express two executive vice-presidencies. The Socialists are also entitled to five designated commissioners – with two executive vice-presidencies – although the S&D group does not consider Maros Sefcovic part of its family given that the Slovakian party Smer, led by Robert Fico and of which Sefcovic is a member, has been suspended for months. The team is completed by Raffaele Fitto, of the Conservatives and Reformists (Ecr) and Oliver Varhelyi, a Hungarian member of Fidesz and therefore a member of the Patriots.
Ursula von der Leyen has decided to appoint for her second term “six executive vice-presidents: four women, two men. Three come from Member States that joined before the fall of the Iron Curtain. And three come from Member States that joined after the reunification of Europe. From the Baltic States, the Nordic States and Eastern Europe. Ministers and Prime Ministers. They have different backgrounds. But they all have a common goal: to make Europe stronger.” This was stated by von der Leyen herself, presenting the team at a press conference, after having illustrated it at the conference of the presidents of the political groups.
This is the Spanish Teresa Riberaresponsible for a “fair, clean and competitive” transition, who will also be responsible for Competition. The Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné will be “the Executive Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. He will also be responsible for the Industry, SME and Single Market portfolio. He will lead the work to create the conditions for our companies to thrive: from investment and innovation to economic stability, trade and economic security.” Estonian Kaja Kallas will be High Representative, as already known. The Romanian Roxana Minzatu will be executive vice president of People, Skills and Readiness. Raffaele Fitto will be Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms. Finnish Henna Virkkunen will be Executive Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Below is the list and photos of the twenty-six:
Teresa Ribera – First Executive Vice President with responsibility for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition (Spain)
Henna Virkkunen – Executive Vice-President for Digital Sovereignty, Security and Democracy (Finland)
Stephane Sejournè – Executive Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy (France)
Kaya Kallas – Executive Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Estonia)
Roxana Minzatu – Executive Vice President with responsibility for People, Skills and Preparation (Romania)
Raffaele Fitto – Executive Vice-President with responsibility for Cohesion and Reforms (Italy)
Maros Sefcovic – Trade and economic security, interinstitutional relations and transparency (Slovakia)
Valdis Dombrovskis – Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification (Latvia)
Dubravka Suica – Mediterranean (Croatia)
Oliver Varhelyi – Animal health and welfare (Hungary)
Wopke Hoekstra – Climate, zero emissions and clean growth (Netherlands)
Andrius Kubilius – Defense and Space (Lithuania)
Martha Kos – Enlargement (Slovenia)
Joseph Sikela – International cooperation (Czech Republic)
Costas Kadis – Fisheries and Oceans (Cyprus)
Mary Louis Albuquerque – Financial services and savings and investments of the Union (Portugal)
Hadja Lahbib – Crisis preparedness and management, equality (Belgium)
Magnus Brunner – Home Affairs and Migration (Austria)
Jessika Roswall – Environment, access to water and competitive circular economy (Sweden)
Peter Serafin – Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration (Poland)
Dan Jorgensen – Energy and Housing (Denmark)
Ekaterina Zakharieva – Startups, Research and Innovation (Bulgaria)
Michael McGrath – Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law (Ireland)
Apostle Tzitzikostas – Sustainable transport and tourism (Greece)
Christophe Hansen – Agriculture and Food (Luxembourg)
Glenn Micallef – Intergenerational equity, youth, culture and sport (Malta)
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