Summary of the day
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, presented her lineup for the new commission.
Spain’s Teresa Ribera was named for the role of executive vice president for clean, just and competitive transition. Finland’s Henna Virkkunen got an executive vice presidency focused on tech sovereignty, security and democracy, while France’s Stéphane Séjourné is slated to become executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy.
Other figures named to senior roles include Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, an ally of Giorgia Meloni who was named executive vice president for cohesion and reforms, and Romania’s Roxana Mînzatu, who was chosen to be executive vice president for people, skills and preparedness. Estonia’s Kaja Kallas had already been selected as the next high representative for foreign affairs.
Von der Leyen chose Andrius Kubilius, a member of the European parliament and a former prime minister of Lithuania, as the new commissioner for defence and space. Magnus Brunner, from Austria, was nominated for the role of internal affairs and migration.
The centre-right European People’s party leader, Manfred Weber, celebrated his party family getting 14 posts.
The Socialist and Democrats group leader Iratxe García said that for the next European Commission mandate, her grouping will work to change the rules to make it obligatory for capitals to nominate a man and a woman for commission posts.
The Greens group’s Terry Reintke said “appointing Raffaele Fitto could create a dangerous shift towards the far-right in the Commission” and that the group would not give the Italian candidate “an easy ride.”
The Left group’s Manon Aubry criticised the new European Commission lineup, arguing that in substance it would be the most right-wing in history.
Ursula von der Leyen’s new lineup of commissioners includes Hadja Lahbib, who is believed to be the first ever EU commissioner with a non-EU background.
Born in Belgium to parents of Algerian origin, Lahbib has been tapped to oversee the portfolio of preparedness, crisis management and equality.
Speaking to Euronews earlier this month, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) said it welcomed the appointment of Lahbib.
But it cautioned that representation alone was not enough.
“We urge the Commission to enhance its efforts, particularly by implementing stronger participatory mechanisms for racialised communities, ensuring their input is central to policy-making, and addressing the democratic deficit while adhering to equality and anti-racist principals,” said a spokesperson.
