EU gets new leadership, faces challenges from Ukraine, US election

TPO - Today (September 17), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen appointed Spanish Minister Teresa Ribera as commissioner in charge of antitrust issues, and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as official in charge of foreign policy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Photo: Reuters)

Lithuanian politician Andrius Kubilius will become the union's first defense commissioner, a new role designed to build up European defense production capacity amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The European Commission is the most powerful body of the 27-nation European Union. It has the power to propose new EU laws, block corporate mergers and sign free trade agreements. Each EU member state has a representative on the Commission, a role equivalent to a government minister. The new EU commissioners also include French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, who is in charge of industrial strategy, and Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic, who will oversee trade policy. All candidates will have to undergo a hearing with MEPs in the European Parliament to be formally approved. Von der Leyen said the new Commission would focus on promoting prosperity, security and democracy, as well as the competitiveness needed for the green and digital transition. "We want to build a competitive, decarbonized and circular economy with a fair transition for all," Von der Leyen said at a press conference on September 17. Compared to her first five-year term, "the security aspect, due to the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the issue of competitiveness will have a much greater impact on the work of the new apparatus," the European Commission President said. Ribera, who is Spain's minister for ecological transition, will replace Margrethe Vestager, who heads the antitrust agency, which has been trying to put pressure on Big Tech. She will also oversee foreign subsidies, another hot-button issue as companies in key sectors such as electric vehicles and energy production struggle to protect their businesses from cheap foreign competition, especially from China. The new EU Commission is expected to take office later this year, meaning one of its first tasks will be after the US presidential election in November. If Mr Trump wins, it would dramatically change Western support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and upend the EU’s trade relationship with the world’s largest economy.

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Source: https://tienphong.vn/lien-minh-chau-au-co-ban-lanh-dao-moi-doi-mat-voi-thu-thach-ukraine-bau-cu-my-post1674012.tpo