Ursula Von Der Leyen appoints the new leaders of the European Commission

2024-09-17 18:10:52, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ursula Von Der Leyen appoints the new leaders of the European Commission

The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen. Source: AFP

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Tuesday appointed her new team, which will lead the most important European institutions for the next 5 years. The main issues that the Commission will focus on are climate change, the war in Ukraine and the strengthening of China.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appointed several women to the top posts of the EU's executive institution, despite the reluctance of the bloc's member states to accept her demand for gender equality. 6 out of 8 of the highest positions of the European Commission will be led by women.

"I worked with the member countries and we managed to improve the representation bringing it to 40 percent women and 60 percent men. However, this shows that regardless of how much we have achieved, there is still work to be done," Ms Von Der Leyen said at a press conference.

The heads of government had earlier agreed on her position as President of the EC and former Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, as head of foreign policy.

Slovenian candidate Marta Kos has been appointed as the new Commissioner for Enlargement, replacing Hungarian Olivér Várhely.

Ms Von der Lyen said she will be responsible for supporting candidate countries to prepare for EU membership, as well as working to support Ukraine, including the country's reconstruction.

Former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius will be the first European Union Defense Commissioner, a new post created to strengthen the bloc's military production capacity in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The Spanish Minister of Energy and Environment Teresa Rinera will be the new commissioner for competition.

Each of the 27 member countries will have a commissioner at the table of the European bloc government, although the political weight depends a lot on the commission they lead.

"About 20 member countries wanted a strong economic portfolio and we don't have that many such commissions. Also, we have to take into account the geographical balance and their political affiliations, so it is not easy to build a new team", she said.

Climate change is the reason for many of the measures we are undertaking", said Mrs. Von Der Leyen, but compared to the first term, "issues such as security and competition, have had more influence on the new composition of the Commission's leadership".

The European Commission has the power to propose new laws for the European Union, block company mergers and sign free trade agreements.

All 27 commissioners proposed today by Mrs. Von Der Leyen will be subject to hearings in the European Parliament, which has the power to confirm them.

All commissioners report to the German conservative Von Der Leyene, who secured a second term as President of the European Commission this summer.

The new commission is expected to take office at the end of this year, which means that the result of the presidential elections in the United States will be one of the main issues it will have to deal with./ VOA