The new management of the European Commission has been announced

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the candidates for the new management of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU). The new members of the 27-member European Commission, each representing an EU member state, were determined after intensive negotiations with political group leaders in the European Parliament and member states. In a press conference today, von der Leyen emphasized that her new team was shaped based on the EU’s policy priorities of climate change, security, and competition, as she announced the members of the commission, also referred to as “commissioners,” who will manage the Commission’s five-year work. Von der Leyen announced that 40% of the new commissioners will be women and that she has entrusted four of the six administrative vice-presidents to female commissioners.

For the first time, there will be a Defense Commissioner. Due to the war in Ukraine, a Defense Commissioner has been included in the commission for the first time to manage Europe’s defense production and investments. Von der Leyen announced that former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius will serve as the Defense and Space Commissioner, stating, “Kubilius will work on the development of the European Defense Union and the enhancement of our investment and industrial capacity.”

The 27-member team manages the functioning of the European Union, prepares its legal regulations, and supervises their implementation. The members of the European Commission, which forms a structure similar to a cabinet in national governments, are appointed to specific duties similar to ministers in national governments. Each commissioner is responsible for different policy areas of the EU, and their appointments must be approved by the European Parliament.

The new members consist of the following individuals:

Teresa Ribera (Spain): Vice President responsible for Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition and Commissioner responsible for Preventing Monopolies.
Henna Virkkunen (Finland): Vice President responsible for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy and Commissioner responsible for Digital and Border Technologies.
Stéphane Séjourné (France): Vice President responsible for Welfare and Industrial Strategy and Commissioner responsible for Industry, Small Enterprises, and the Single Market.
Kaja Kallas (Estonia): Vice President responsible for Foreign and Security Policy and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Roxana Mînzatu (Romania): Vice President responsible for People, Skills, and Readiness and Commissioner responsible for Skills, Education, Culture, Quality Jobs, and Social Rights.
Raffaele Fitto (Italy): Vice President responsible for Cohesion and Reforms and Commissioner responsible for Cohesion Policy, Regional Development, and Cities.
Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia): Commissioner responsible for Trade and Economic Security. Also, Commissioner responsible for Inter-Institutional Relations and Transparency.
Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia): Commissioner responsible for Economy and Productivity. Also, Commissioner responsible for Implementation and Facilitation.
Dubravka Šuica (Croatia): Commissioner responsible for the Mediterranean.
Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary): Commissioner responsible for Health and Animal Welfare.
Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands): Commissioner responsible for Climate, Net Zero Emissions, and Clean Development.
Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania): Commissioner responsible for Defense and Space.
Marta Kos (Slovenia): Commissioner responsible for Enlargement.
Jozef Skela (Czech Republic): Commissioner responsible for International Partnerships.
Costas Kadis (South Cyprus): Commissioner responsible for Fisheries and Oceans.
Maria Lus Albuquerque (Portugal): Commissioner responsible for Financial Services and the Savings and Investment Union.
Hadja Lahbib (Belgium): Commissioner responsible for Preparedness and Crisis Management.
Magnus Brunner (Austria): Commissioner responsible for Internal Affairs and Migration.
Jessika Roswall (Sweden): Commissioner responsible for Environment, Water Resilience, and Competitive Circular Economy.
Piotr Serafin (Poland): Commissioner responsible for Budget, Anti-Corruption, and Public Administration.
Dan Jørgensen (Denmark): Commissioner responsible for Energy and Housing.
Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria): Commissioner responsible for Research and Innovation.
Michael McGrath (Ireland): Commissioner responsible for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece): Commissioner responsible for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg): Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Food.
Glenn Micallef (Malta): Commissioner responsible for Intergenerational Justice, Culture, Youth, and Sports.