STRASBOURG: The European Parliament approved on Wednesday the new team of European Commissioners under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, which will manage the European Union’s policies over the next five years. The new European Commission team received 370 votes in favor, compared to 282 against, allowing the new members to officially begin their work on December first.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the new team faces numerous challenges, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, the return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States, as well as tensions with China. The team is composed of 26 EU Commissioners covering various fields, including climate, competitiveness, trade, industry, agriculture, and nature.
Parliamentary groups from the right, center, and left agreed last week to vote in favor of the new team, led by 66-year-old Ursula von der Leyen, who will head the Commission for a second term. Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has taken over as the EU’s chief diplomat, succee
ding Josep Borrell. Meanwhile, Andrius Kubilius from Lithuania will oversee the EU’s efforts to rearm, with both commissioners being staunch critics of Russia and its war on Ukraine.
Before the approval of her team, von der Leyen warned in a speech during a plenary session at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday that Europe “has no time to waste” in strengthening its defense and competitiveness, stressing that her team is ready to address the EU’s growing challenges. She emphasized, “Our freedom and sovereignty depend now more than ever on our economic power. Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate, and produce.” Von der Leyen noted the “imbalance” when Moscow spends up to 9 percent of its GDP on defense, compared to only 1.9 percent in the European Union. She stressed the need to increase defense spending, establish a single defense market, and strengthen the defense industrial base.
On another note, the EU’s trade policy is at the top of the new team’s agenda, with expectations of
potential higher tariffs being imposed by incoming US President Donald Trump.