The new European Commissioners, as well as the new portfolios, were announced on Tuesday morning by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Among them the portfolio of Sustainable Transport and Tourism which was proposed to be assigned to the Greek Commissioner, Apostolo Tzizikostas.

During a press conference after her meeting with the presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen said: “Apostolos Tzitzikostas will be responsible for sustainable transport and tourism. He will also be responsible for the mobility of goods and people. There are also key areas for competitiveness but also for transitions to connect people and promote local economies “.

At the same time, he announced that the Commission will have 6 executive vice-presidents.

See the new Commission

“Each member of my team will bring their own experience and perspective on Europe. Together, we will be a team, working towards a common goal. Making Europe stronger”she emphasizes in her post.

“Today I present my team for the next five years. A group of capable women and men ready to work together. For a stronger Union. For a safer Europe. For a more competitive Europe.” the President of the Commission said earlier on Platform X.

A core principle of the college is to strengthen security and democracy, Ms. von der Leyen said, adding that “every part of the college is equal. All commissioners must work together and in that spirit each vice-president will have a portfolio with which they must work with other commissioners.”

Second principle is that the new college will represented by 40% women and 60% men

The six executive vice presidents

  1. Teresa Ribera for the green transition, will also be responsible for the issue of competitiveness
  2. Hena Virkunen on Democracy and Digital Technology
  3. Stéphane Szournet on industrial strategy, on the single market
  4. Kaya Kalas as Commissioner for Foreign Affairs
  5. Roxana Mirzatou on social rights
  6. Rafael Fitto on cohesion and reforms

The new Commission in detail

  • Ursula von der Leyen (Germany): President of the European Commission
  • Teresa Ribera (Spain): Executive Vice President for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition
  • Henna Virkkunen (Finland): Executive Vice President for Technology Governance, Security and Democracy
  • Stéphane Séjourné (France): Executive Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
  • Roxana Mînzatu (Romania): Executive Vice President for People, Skills and Readiness
  • Raffaele Fitto (Italy): Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms
  • Kaja Kallas (Estonia): High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
  • Magnus Brunner (Austria): Home Affairs and Immigration
  • Hadja Lahbib (Belgium): Preparedness, Crisis Management. Equality
  • Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria): Startups, Research and Innovation
  • Dubravka Šuica (Croatia): Mediterranean
  • Kostas Kadis (Cyprus): Fisheries and oceans
  • Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic): International Partnerships
  • Dan Jørgensen (Denmark): Energy and housing
  • Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece): Sustainable Transport and Tourism
  • Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary): Animal health and welfare
  • Michael McGrath (Ireland): Democracy, justice and the rule of law
  • Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia): Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification
  • Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania): Defense and Space
  • Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg): Agriculture and Food
  • Glenn Micallef (Malta): Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sports
  • Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands): Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth
  • Piotr Serafin (Poland): Budget, Anti-fraud, Public Administration
  • Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal): Financial Services
  • Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia): Trade and economic security, inter-institutional relations and transparency
  • Marta Kos (Slovenia): Enlargement
  • Jessika Roswall (Sweden): Environment, water resilience and competitive circular economy

“President @vonderleyen will present her proposal for the new College this morning to the media. The press conference will take place shortly after the presentation to the presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament in Strasbourg” Ms. von der Leyen’s representative wrote earlier in a post on Platform X, Eric Mamer.

📣 The President @vonderleyen she will present her proposition for the new College this morning to the media.

The press conference will take place shortly after the presentation to the presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Suivez-la sur @EC_AVService.

— Eric Mamer (@MamerEric2) September 17, 2024

It is recalled that Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proposed Apostolos Tzitzikostas for the post of Greek commissioner.

As Politico had written justifying why the Transport portfolio will be given to Greece, “the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expecting an important portfolio having contributed to the re-election of von der Leyen. Oversight of the transport portfolio may be the key to helping the Greek shipping industry. If transport alone is not enough to please Mitsotakis, Tzitzikostas could become responsible for regional development, especially given his experience at the European Committee of the Regions.”

It is noted that the Commission is the strongest institution of the European Union of 27 countries. It has the power to propose new EU laws, block mergers between companies and sign free trade agreements.

Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission table, a role comparable to a government minister, although their political weight varies significantly by portfolio.

Among the most powerful are the trade and competition briefings, as well as areas such as energy and the EU internal market, where EU law has a significant impact on businesses and consumers across Europe.

Yesterday there was a shake-up in the composition of the next Commission, when France chose Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as the new candidate after the sudden resignation of Thierry Breton, with “nails” for Ursula von der Leyen.

It is noted that most EU governments have ignored von der Leyen’s request to send both a male and a female candidate to achieve a gender-balanced EU executive.

Each new commissioner will have to pass a hearing in the European Parliament, expected in the coming weeks, during which EU lawmakers will try to extract promises from the candidates on what they will deliver if they take the job.

The challenges

As Reuters reports, the next EU Commission is expected to take office by the end of the year, which means one of its first tasks will be to present the result of the US presidential election in November.

A second Trump presidency could sharply change the West’s unity in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and the EU’s growing trade relations with the world’s largest economy.

Other challenges for the next EU Commission include tackling the troubled competitiveness of European industries as competition “hardens” with China to make green technologies such as electric cars.