According to Leyen, the composition of her proposed new EC includes 11 women, which is 40%. The first list of nominees and nominees was about 22% female and 78% male, which Leyen said was unacceptable. Therefore, in cooperation with member states, it was possible to improve the balance to 40% of women and 60% of men, the EC statement said.
“And it shows that although we have achieved a lot, there is still a lot to do. With that in mind, I appointed six executive vice-chairs,” said Leyen. “Six executive vice-presidents: four women and two men. Three from member states that joined before the fall of the Iron Curtain. And three from member states that joined after European reunification. From the Baltics, Nordics and Eastern Europe. Ministers and prime ministers. Different experiences. But all have one common goal – to make Europe stronger.”
Teresa Ribera from Spain will be the Executive Vice-Chair of “Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition” and will also be responsible for competition policy. She will lead the work to ensure that Europe continues to deliver on the goals set out in the European Green Deal and that the EU simultaneously decarbonises and industrialises the economy.
Henna Virkunen from Finland will be the Executive Vice-Chair responsible for Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy and she will also be responsible for the Digital and Advanced Technologies portfolio.
The current French foreign minister, Stéphanes Séjournay, will be the executive vice-president in charge of welfare and industrial strategy. He will also be responsible for industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and the single market.
Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will be the High Representative and Executive Deputy Chairperson. “We are in an era of geostrategic rivalry and instability. Our foreign policy and security policy must be shaped by this reality and must be more in line with our own interests. I know I can count on her to bring it all together and be a bridge between our domestic and foreign policy. And to ensure that we are still a geopolitical commission,” said Leyena.
Romanian Roksana Minzatu will be the Executive Vice-President responsible for people, skills and readiness and she will be responsible for skills, education and culture, quality jobs and social rights.
Raffaele Fito from Italy will be the Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reform and will be responsible for the portfolio related to cohesion policy, regional development and cities.
Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič has been given a dual role as Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, a new portfolio that also includes customs policy. He has also been given a second role: Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, and in this second role he will report directly to Leyen.
Latvia’s representative Valdis Dombrovskis will also have a double role. He will be the Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, as well as being entrusted with the duties of Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification. He will report directly to Leyena for this part of the job.
Dubravka Šuica from Croatia will be the Commissioner for the Mediterranean region and she will also be responsible for the Southern Neighbourhood. She will work closely with Kallas and many other commissioners to develop common interests in the region.
Oliver Varheji from Hungary will be the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. He will be responsible for the creation of the European Health Union and will continue his work on the fight against cancer and health prevention.
Vopke Hekstra from the Netherlands will be the Commissioner responsible for climate, climate neutrality and clean growth. He will continue to work on implementation and adaptation, climate diplomacy and decarbonisation. He will also be responsible for taxes.
The defense and space commissioner will be Lithuanian representative Andrjus Kubilius. He will work on the development of the European Defense Union and increase investment and industrial capacity.
Slovenia’s Marta Kos will be Commissioner for Enlargement, also responsible for the Eastern Neighbourhood. She will work to support Ukraine and continue its work on reconstruction, as well as support candidate countries to prepare them for the accession process.
Jozef Síkela from the Czech Republic will be the Commissioner for International Partnerships, while Kost Kadis from Cyprus will be the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans.
Portugal’s Maria Luisa Albuquerque will be the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union.
Aja Labib from Belgium will be Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. It is another new portfolio that will look at resilience, preparedness and civil defence. She will be responsible for leading efforts in crisis management and humanitarian assistance.
Austria’s Magnus Brunner will be the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration. He will focus on the implementation of the Asylum and Migration Pact, as well as the strengthening of borders and the development of a new internal security strategy.
Sweden’s Jesika Roosvala will be the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy. She will have an important task – to help preserve the environment and include nature in the balance sheet. She will help develop circulation and a more competitive economy. And she will lead the work on water sustainability, which is a big priority for the coming years.
Piotr Serafin from Poland will be the Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration. He will report directly to Leyena and will be particularly focused on the preparation of the next long-term budget.
The commissioner responsible for energy and housing will be Dan Jergensen from Denmark. His work will help reduce energy prices, invest in clean energy and ensure the EU is less dependent. He will be the first commissioner in charge of housing and will focus on everything from energy efficiency to investment and construction.
Ekaterina Zaharieva from Bulgaria will be Commissioner for Research and Innovation and will help ensure that the EU invests more and focuses its spending on strategic priorities and breakthrough innovations.
Ireland’s Michael McGrath will be the Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Justice and will also lead work on the rule of law, anti-corruption and consumer protection.
Apostolos Dzidzikost from Greece will be the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. He is responsible for the mobility of goods and people.
Christophe Hansen from Luxembourg will be Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. His task will be to implement the report and recommendations of the strategic dialogue. Based on the strategic dialogue, he will develop a vision for agriculture and food during the first 100 days in office.
Glenn Micallef from Malta will be the Commissioner responsible for intergenerational justice, culture, youth and sport.
2024-09-18 00:49:48