European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her slate of commissioners—the equivalent of the EU executive branch’s Cabinet—for her second term today. Although women make up a majority of the top posts, the overall composition of the commission falls short of von der Leyen’s goal of gender parity, while leaning right politically. The appointments must still be confirmed by the European Parliament. (AP)
Our Take
Just a day after Thierry Breton’s surprise resignation as commissioner for the Internal Market caused rare drama and intrigue in Brussels, von der Leyen’s announcement gets the commission back to the kind of nuts-and-bolts horse-trading and power politics for which it is better known. As expected given the outcome of June’s European Parliament elections, the commission shifted to the right politically, with three of the six plum executive vice president posts going to France, Spain and Italy, reflecting the pecking order of EU member states.
As with von der Leyen’s first term, however, a lot is being communicated in the titles of the various portfolios, many of which represent significant changes in emphasis from the past five years. Above all, the new titles bristle with words that convey a muscular and almost martial posture, at once both protective and proactive. The tech portfolio includes Tech Sovereignty and Security as well as Democracy. The green transition portfolio is not just Clean and Just, but also Competitive. The trade portfolio includes Economic Security in its brief. And for the first time ever, there’s a commissioner for Defense.