Ursula von der Leyen appointed the members of the new European Commission, making sure to maintain gender balance. Originally, there were just four women among the candidates, but her efforts raised the number to 11, including herself.
The Polish candidate for commissioner, Piotr Serafin, as expected, will be responsible for the EU budget, tackling financial fraud, and public administration.
New EU Commissioners announced. Key roles and responsibilities
Andrius Kubilius from Lithuania will oversee defense matters and work on expanding the European defense industry. Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis will handle economic affairs, while Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič will be in charge of trade. Slovenia’s Marta Kos will focus on EU enlargement.
Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, who was appointed in July, will lead EU diplomacy and serve as one of the six vice-presidents of the European Commission. Romania’s Roxana Minzatu, also a vice-president, will be responsible for demographics, education, and training. Finland’s Henna Virkkunen will serve as a vice-president in charge of digitalization.
France’s Stéphane Séjourné will be the vice-president responsible for industrial strategy, and Spain’s Teresa Ribera will oversee competition, as well as fair and clean transformation, in her role as a vice-president. Italy’s Raffaele Fitto will be a vice-president focusing on regional development.
Environmental and energy issues will be managed by representatives from Western Europe: Wopke Hoekstra of the Netherlands will handle climate matters, Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen will be in charge of energy and housing, and Sweden’s Jessika Roswall will address environmental concerns.
There were no surprises regarding the Polish commissioner candidate; as expected, Piotr Serafin will handle the EU budget.
Source: IAR/PAP/X/@vonderleyen
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