Strasbourg (France) – The President of the European Fee, Ursula von der Leyen, unveiled her crew of commissioners on Tuesday for the subsequent five-year time period, all of whom are but to endure scrutiny and hearings with the European Parliament. Listed here are the 27 profiles.
President: Ursula von der Leyen (Germany)
Von der Leyen (Brussels, 1958), the omnipotent President of the European Fee between 2019 and 2024, is repeating the place after beforehand holding three totally different ministries in Berlin in separate Angela Merkel governments: Protection, Labor, and Household. She is a doctor by coaching and has seven youngsters.
First Government Vice President for a Clear, Truthful, and Aggressive Transition: Teresa Ribera (Spain)
Ribera (Madrid, 1969) has practically twenty years in local weather coverage management roles, the final six years as minister and vp of the Spanish authorities. Her profession highlights her expertise in local weather points and her negotiating abilities, which have led her to play a notable function in, amongst different areas, the reform of the European electrical energy market.
Government Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Technique: Stéphane Séjourné (France)
Séjourné (Versailles, 1985) leaves his place within the French authorities as International Minister to return to Brussels, the place till the start of this 12 months he had spent his total political profession as a Member of the European Parliament and chief of the European liberals. Beforehand, he had been a detailed advisor to Emmanuel Macron, each throughout his time as president and as minister.
Government Vice President and Excessive Consultant of the European Union for International Affairs and Safety Coverage: Kaja Kallas (Estonia)
The longer term head of EU diplomacy, Kallas (Tallinn, 1977) leaves behind her function as Prime Minister of her nation, the place she has constructed a status for her unwavering help for Kyiv and difficult stance towards Moscow, which grew to become significantly notable after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She had already handed by way of Brussels as an MEP specializing in digital points.
Government Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Safety, and Democracy: Henna Virkunnen (Finland)
Virkkunen (Joutsa, 1972) has been an MEP since 2014 and through her political tenure in Finland, she was a part of three totally different liberal-conservative governments as Minister of Training (2008-2011), Public Administration and Native Authorities (2011-2014), and Transport (2014).
Government Vice President for Cohesion and Reforms: Raffaele Fitto (Italy)
A former protégé of Silvio Berlusconi with a previous in Christian Democracy, Fitto (Maglie, 1969) would be the first member of an Italian far-right occasion to hitch the EU government, after practically two years being Giorgia Meloni’s amiable face and mediator with Brussels, in addition to one of the influential members of her authorities and a key participant within the allocation of post-pandemic EU funds.
Government Vice President for Folks, Expertise, and Preparedness: Roxana Minzatu (Romania)
MEP Roxana Minzatu (Bucharest, 1980) was a part of the Romanian Parliament between 2016 and 2020, and in 2019, she served as Minister of European Funds, with a selected deal with infrastructure growth and digitalization of the nation. She has intensive expertise in managing European funds, acquired within the non-public sector, NGOs, and public features.
Commissioner for Monetary Providers and the Financial savings and Funding Union: Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal)
This economist (Braga, 1967) was Finance Minister between 2013 and 2015 throughout the conservative authorities of Pedro Passos Coelho, in years marked by a bailout that led to cuts in employment support and a discount in pensions, amongst a number of measures.
Commissioner for Power and Housing: Dan Jørgensen (Denmark)
Jørgensen (Odense, 1975), holds a level in Political Science and served as an MEP for practically a decade till Helle Thorning-Schmidt introduced him again to nationwide politics in 2013 to function Minister of Meals, Agriculture, and Fisheries. Years later, he as soon as once more obtained ministerial tasks within the governments of Mette Frederiksen.
Commissioner for Atmosphere, Water Resilience, and a Aggressive Round Economic system: Jessika Roswall (Sweden)
Roswall (Uppsala, 1972) holds a Historical past diploma from Stockholm College and in addition a Grasp’s in Legislation from Uppsala College. A Member of the Swedish Parliament since 2010 for the Average Get together (conservative), she was a part of the nationwide chamber’s European Affairs Committee and was a minister within the portfolio for the final two years.
Commissioner for Price range, Anti-Fraud, and Public Administration: Piotr Serafin (Poland)
Excluding Donald Tusk, no Polish politician has as a lot expertise in EU establishments as Piotr Serafin, “the best hand” of the Polish Prime Minister in Europe. Serafin, who was Tusk’s chief of workers when he was President of the European Council, took over his nation’s everlasting illustration in Brussels final December.
Commissioner for Protection and House: Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania)
Kubilius (Vilnius, 1956) studied Physics at Vilnius College and after Lithuania’s independence, he was elected as an MP and served twice as Prime Minister (between 1999-2000 and 2008-2012). Kubilius grew to become an MEP in 2019 and earned a status for taking a troublesome line on relations with Russia and supporting Ukraine in its combat towards the Russian invasion.
Commissioner for Inside and Migration: Magnus Brunner (Austria)
Brunner (Höchst, 1972), a lawyer by coaching, has been Finance Minister of his nation since December 2021 and was beforehand State Secretary within the Ministry of Atmosphere, Power, Transport, Innovation, and Know-how. He additionally served because the political director of the Austrian Financial Federation, in addition to head of growth for the vitality firm Illwerke VKw Group, and a member of the chief board of the vitality firm OeMAG.
Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans: Costas Kadis (Cyprus)
Kadis (Nicosia, 1967) was Well being Minister between July 2007 and February 2008, headed the Training and Tradition portfolio between 2014 and 2018, and the Agriculture portfolio between 2018 and 2023. After leaving the federal government in 2023, the biologist and staunch advocate for biodiversity conservation grew to become dean of the College of Well being Coverage at Frederick College (Cyprus).
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism: Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece)
Tzitzikostas (Thessaloniki, 1978) was till now governor of the Greek area of Central Macedonia and has been president of the Union of Greek Areas and the European Committee of the Areas.
Commissioner for Begin-Ups, Analysis, and Innovation: Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria)
Zaharieva (Pazardzhik, 1975) was International Minister within the third authorities of GERB chief Boyko Borisov, between 2017 and 2021. Beforehand, she was Minister of Justice, in addition to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Growth within the interim governments of Georgi Bliznashki and Marin Raykov, between 2014 and 2017.
Commissioner for Well being and Animal Welfare: Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary)
Várhelyi (Szeged, 1972) is the present Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement and seeks to repeat his function after 5 years marked by controversies, the newest being his unilateral suspension of a sequence of funds destined for Palestine. He’s a lawyer and diplomat.
Commissioner for Enlargement: Marta Kos (Slovenia, pending official affirmation)
Kos (Prevalje, 1965) is a Slovenian diplomat who has been an envoy in Switzerland and Germany, and was vp of the occasion Freedom Motion, a member of the liberals of Renew Europe. The Slovenian prime minister’s cupboard has argued that she has “intensive expertise in administration and EU initiatives” and is an professional in communication.
Commissioner for the Mediterranean: Dubravka Suica (Croatia)
Suica (Dubrovnik, 1957) seeks a repeat time period within the European Fee after 5 years main the Demography and Democracy portfolio. Beforehand, she was a four-time MEP, two-time mayor of her hometown, a member of the Croatian Parliament, and a senior HDZ official.
Commissioner for Commerce and Financial Safety and Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency: Maros Sefcovic (Slovakia)
Sefcovic (Bratislava, 1966) is a Slovak politician and diplomat looking for his fourth consecutive time period within the Fee, after being vp throughout this legislature. Educated in Economics and Legislation in Bratislava and Diplomacy in Moscow, Sefcovic initially labored on the Czechoslovak embassy in Zimbabwe, then on the Slovak embassy in Ottawa, and ultimately rose to ambassador in Tel Aviv and everlasting consultant of his nation to the EU.
Commissioner for Economic system and Productiveness and Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification: Valdis Dombrovskis
Dombrovskis (Riga, 1971) is already a veteran on the Brussels scene, having been Government Vice President beneath von der Leyen’s management between 2019 and 2024, specializing in financial portfolios. Beforehand, he held tasks in Monetary Providers and Commerce. He holds levels in Physics, Arithmetic, and Economics, and was Prime Minister of his nation between 2009 and 2014.
Commissioner for Worldwide Partnerships: Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic)
Síkela (Rokycany, 1957), the present Business and Commerce Minister of the Czech Republic, is an economist who has spent three many years within the banking sector, with government roles in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine, and entered politics in 2021. In the course of the Czech European presidency in 2022, he led the negotiations with the vitality ministers of the member states on the vitality disaster sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Administration and Commissioner for Equality: Hadja Lahbib (Belgium)
Lahbib (Boussu, 1970), in her most up-to-date expertise, led the Belgian International Ministry, with a notable function throughout her nation’s rotating presidency of the Council of the EU within the remaining semester of the final legislature. Born in Algeria, she has additionally labored as a journalist earlier than coming into politics.
Commissioner for Local weather and Clear Progress and Zero Emissions: Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands)
Hoekstra (Bennekom, 1975), a outstanding determine of the Christian Democratic CDA occasion, has held a number of vital positions within the Dutch authorities, together with Finance and International Affairs Minister between 2017 and 2023, and through his tenure on the Ministry of Finance, he was closely criticized by southern European international locations for his fiscal austerity stance throughout negotiations for the approval of post-pandemic restoration funds.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Meals: Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg)
Hansen (Wiltz, 1982) has been an MEP since 2018 and has expertise in native Luxembourg politics but in addition behind the scenes in Brussels, the place he labored each as a parliamentary assistant and as an advisor in his nation’s varied representations within the Belgian capital.
Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Legislation: Michael McGrath (Eire)
McGrath (Cork, 1978) has been within the Irish authorities for 4 years, the place he has been Finance Minister and in addition Public Expenditure and Reform Minister. He studied Commerce in his hometown and labored as an accountant at KPMG and as a monetary controller for an area radio station.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Tradition, and Sports activities: Glenn Micallef (Malta)
Micallef (Malta, 1989) is an economist by coaching and between 2020 and 2024 served as chief of workers to Malta’s Prime Minister, the Labor chief Robert Abela, additionally working as an advisor on European affairs. Following the UK’s determination to depart the EU, he headed the Brexit Unit liable for coordination, negotiation, and adapting Maltese legislation to Britain’s departure from European establishments. (September 17)
