Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union Council, in joint agreement with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has adopted the list of persons proposed to be appointed as members of the Commission until October 31, 2029. The new formation announced in Brussels last night showed the presence of a woman of Arab origin for the first time among the members of the European Commission, the Belgian of Algerian origin Khadija Lahbib who was Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Belgian government..

The new formation also included, for the first time, the position of European Commissioner for Defense and Space Affairs, and the position of Commissioner for Neighborhood Affairs with the countries of the Southern Mediterranean region was created. A replacement for the Spaniard Josep Borrell, who held the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, was also appointed, in addition to selecting six individuals to assume the position of Vice-President of the Commission.
A European statement in Brussels said that under Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union, the Council, in joint agreement with the elected President of the Commission, adopts the list of persons proposed to be appointed as members of the Commission. The President of the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the other members of the Commission as a body are subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. On the basis of this approval, the Commission is appointed by the European Council, by a qualified majority. Another European statement quoted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statements after a meeting with the heads of political groups in the European Parliament: “Let me first talk about the content that defines the structure. Together we have defined core priorities. They are built around prosperity, security and democracy. The background is: competitiveness in the dual transition, which is highly intertwined and intersecting. The entire group is committed to competitiveness… strengthening our technological sovereignty, security and democracy. Building a competitive, decarbonised and circular economy, with a fair transition for all. Designing a bold industrial strategy with innovation and investment at its heart. Strengthening European cohesion and regions. Supporting people, skills and our social model. Ensuring that Europe can assert its interests and lead in the world. This is reflected in the titles of the six Executive Vice-Presidents. Another principle: as the Treaty says, every member of the Commission is equal – and every Commissioner has equal responsibility for achieving our priorities. This means that all Commissioners must work together. On this basis, each Executive Vice-President will have a portfolio to focus on – and will have to work with other Commissioners. Because what affects security affects democracy, what affects the economy affects society, and what affects the climate and environment also affects people and businesses. That is why I am introducing a leaner, more interactive and more connected structure. Another issue is balance in general. Whether it is by gender, by subject matter or by geography. As you will see, we now have 11 women in the body that I am proposing today. That is 40%. When I received the first set of nominations and candidates, we were on track to have 22% women and 78% men. That was unacceptable. So I worked with the Member States and we were able to improve the balance to 40% women and 60% men. That shows that – despite all that we have achieved – there is still a lot of work to be done. With that in mind, I have appointed six Executive Vice-Presidents: four women and two men. Three from Member States that joined before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Three from Member States that joined after European reunification. From the Baltic, Nordic and Eastern European countries. Ministers and prime ministers. Different backgrounds. But they all have one common goal – to make Europe stronger. They are . Teresa Ribera will be Executive Vice President for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition. She will also be responsible for Competition Policy. She will guide the work to ensure that Europe stays on track to meet its goals set out in the European Green Deal. And that we decarbonise and industrialise our economy at the same time. Heina Virkkonen will be Executive Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. She will also be responsible for the portfolio on Digital and Border Technologies. I will ask Heina to look at both the internal and external aspects of security. But also to strengthen the foundations of our democracy, such as the rule of law, and to protect them wherever they are under attack. Stéphane Séjourné will be Executive Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. He will also be responsible for Industry, SMEs and the Single Market portfolio. He will guide the work to create the conditions for our companies to thrive – from investment and innovation to economic stability, trade and economic security. As you already know, Kaya Kallas will be our Senior Representative and Vice President. We are in an era of geostrategic rivalries and instability. Our foreign and security policy must be designed with this reality in mind and must be more aligned with our own interests. I know I can count on her to bring all this together – and to be the bridge between our domestic and foreign policies. And to ensure that we remain a geopolitical committee. I am also very pleased to appoint Roxana Menzato as Executive Vice President People, Skills and Readiness. She will be responsible for skills, education and culture, good jobs and social rights. This is under the umbrella of demography. Roxana will particularly lead the Skills Union and the European Pillar of Social Rights. She will focus on those areas that are crucial to bringing our society together. Raffaele Vito will be Executive Vice President Cohesion and Reforms. He will be responsible for the portfolio dealing with cohesion policy, regional development and cities. We will draw on his extensive experience to help modernise and strengthen our cohesion, investment and growth policies. This is the team of Executive Vice Presidents who will work closely with each other and with all the Commissioners.

I will start here with Maros Šefčović, who I am very pleased to give two roles. He will be Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security. This is a new portfolio that also includes customs policy. I have also given him a second role: Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Transparency. For this second role, he will report directly to me. Valdis Dombrovskis will also have a dual role. He will be Commissioner for Economy and Productivity. I have also given him the role of Commissioner for Implementation and Facilitation. He will report directly to me in this part of his work. Dubravka Suica will be Commissioner for the Mediterranean. I have given her this new role. She will also be responsible for the wider Southern Quarter. She will work closely with Kaya Kallas – and many other Commissioners – to develop our shared interests with the region. Oliver Várhelyi will be Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. He will be responsible for building a Health EU and continuing to work on defeating cancer and preventive health. Wopke Hoekstra will be Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. He will continue to work on implementation and adaptation, on climate diplomacy and decarbonisation. He will also be responsible for taxation. Andrius Kubilius will be Commissioner for Defence and Space. He will work to develop the EU’s defence and strengthen our investment and industrial capabilities. Marta Kos It should be noted that Marta Kos has been proposed by the Government of Slovenia as a member of the College. The nomination procedure, which involves consulting the national parliament for a non-binding opinion, is ongoing. She will be Commissioner for Enlargement – ​​also responsible for our Eastern Neighbourhood. She will work to support Ukraine – and continue the work on reconstruction, and support candidate countries in preparing for accession. Jozef Sikela will be Commissioner for International Partnerships. He will lead the work on the Global Gateway – ensuring that we develop mutually beneficial partnerships that invest in a common future. Kostas Kadis will be Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans. I rely on his experience to help build a resilient, competitive and sustainable sector and deliver the first European Ocean Charter. Maria Luis Albuquerque will be Commissioner for Financial Services, Savings and Investment Union. This will be vital to strengthening and completing the Capital Markets Union and ensuring that private investment can boost our productivity and innovation. Habib will be needed as Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. This is another new portfolio that will look at resilience, preparedness and civil protection. She will be responsible for leading our efforts in crisis management and humanitarian aid. Magnus Brunner will be Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration. He will of course focus on implementing the Asylum and Migration Pact – but also on strengthening our borders and developing a new internal security strategy. Jessica Roswall will be Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. “She will be responsible for preserving our environment and putting nature on public balance sheets. She will help develop a more circular and competitive economy. She will lead the work on water resilience, which is a big priority for the coming years. Piotr Serafin will be Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration. He will report directly to me and will focus in particular on preparing the next long-term budget and ensuring a modern institution to deliver services to Europeans. Dan Jørgensen will be Commissioner for Energy and Housing. His work will help lower energy prices, invest in clean energy and ensure we reduce our dependence on external resources. He will be the first ever Commissioner for Housing – looking at all aspects from energy efficiency to investment and construction. Ekaterina Zaharieva will be Commissioner for Research and Innovation. We must put research, innovation, science and technology at the centre of our economy. She will help ensure we invest more and focus our spending on strategic priorities and pioneering innovation. Michael McGrath will be Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law. He has been tasked with driving forward the implementation of the European Democracy Shield. He will also lead our work on the rule of law, anti-corruption and consumer protection. Apostolos Tzitzikostas is Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. He is responsible for the movement of goods and people. These are sectors that are essential for our competitiveness, but also for our transformation, connecting people and driving local economies. Christof Hansen will take over as Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. He will bring the Strategic Dialogue report and recommendations to life. Based on the Strategic Dialogue, he will develop a vision for agriculture and food in his first 100 days. Glenn Micallef will be Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Culture, Youth and Sport. Intergenerational justice is a cross-cutting topic. It affects us all – especially young people. It is about finding the right balance in society. Glenn has been tasked with overseeing it. “The key message is that wherever we come from, whatever our job title: we all have to work together,” she concludes. The full line-up of Member States is: Mr. Magnus Brunner (Austria), Ms. Maria Luis Casanova Morgado Dias de Albuquerque (Portugal), Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia), Mr. Rafael Vito (Italy), Mr. Christoph Hansen (Luxembourg), Mr. Wöbeke Bastian Hoekstra (Netherlands), Mr. Dan Jørgensen (Denmark), Mr. Konstantinos Kadis (Cyprus), Ms. Marta Kos (Slovenia), Mr. Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania), Ms. Hadja Lahbib (Belgium), Mr. Michel McGrath (Ireland), Mr. Glenn Micallef (Malta), Ms. Roxana Menzatu (Romania), Ms. Teresa Rodriguez (Spain), Ms. Jeska Roswall (Sweden), Mr. Maros Šefković (Slovakia), Mr. Stéphane Segurin (France), Mr. Arkadiusz Serafin (Poland), Mr. Josef Sikela (Czech Republic), Ms. Ekaterina Sebazova (Bulgaria), Ms. Duravka Soiba (Croatia), Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece), Mr. Oliver Varhelyi (Hungary), Ms. Hina-Maria Virkkonen (Finland), and: Ms. Kaja Kallas (Estonia),She was appointed High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 24 July 2024 by the European Council, with the approval of the President-elect of the Commission.