The European Union’s new team of executives, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, took office on December 1, as the 27-country bloc faces a new geopolitical reality.
Security and defence in the face of Russian aggression on the bloc’s eastern flank, tensions in the Middle East, sluggish competitiveness, economic rivalry from China, trade worries ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House and addressing illegal immigration – the new commission has its work cut out.
“We have no time to waste. And we must be as ambitious as the threats are serious,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg ahead of their confirmation vote on the new commission.
Kaja Kallas, former prime minister of Estonia, took over as the bloc’s new foreign policy chief, replacing former EU top diplomat Josep Borrell.
Former Portuguese prime minister António Costa also took office on Sunday as the new president of the European Council, replacing Charles Michel.
The commission’s leadership team consists of 27 members, one for each EU member state, including Germany’s von der Leyen. The new team, in place until 2029, comes in the wake of European elections in June.
Strong signal for Europe – and for Ukraine
On their first day in office, Costa, Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos travelled to Kiev, sending a strong message that the EU will continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and on its path to EU membership.
“The situation in Ukraine is very, very grave,” Kallas said.
According to Costa, the support will include humanitarian, financial, military and diplomatic assistance.
On Ukraine’s EU accession process, Kos – a former Slovenian ambassador to Germany and Switzerland – said: “My promise is that I will do everything in my power to bring you to the final line of the negotiation process.”
The EU officially opened accession negotiations with Ukraine in June.
On Sunday, Costa said he would work together with Kiev to open at least two areas of the accession negotiations in the first half of 2025.
Following Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, the EU changed its enlargement policy towards its eastern neighbours by granting candidate status to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
This was unthinkable before the war, when the EU has been cautious about enlargement.
Nonetheless, Costa said that he was against “artificially set deadlines” in the accession process, in a departure from the position of his predecessor Michel, who said that the EU and current candidate countries should be ready for enlargement by 2030.
Defence spending boost
Outlining the priorities of her new commission last week, von der Leyen stressed the importance of increasing defence spending and the need to maintain the unity of the EU.
Stepping up Europe’s defences has been a priority since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the commission, European defence spending has been too little and too disjointed in recent decades to keep up with Russia and China.
“Our defence spending must increase. We need a single market for defence. We need to strengthen the defence industrial base,” von der Leyen said.
Europe has jointly spent around $125 billion on supporting Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
By comparison, the United States alone has coughed up over $90 billion, according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute, a German economic research institute and independent think tank.
Von der Leyen has previously said the EU needs to invest €500 billion ($526 billion) in defence over the next decade to keep up with Russia and China.
This has become more urgent since Trump was re-elected US president, amid fears he might reduce Washington’s commitment to European security and support for Ukraine.
For the first time, the EU will have a defence commissioner – Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius – who along with Kallas has been charged with setting out a roadmap for European defence in the first 100 days of the new commission.
What else to expect in first 100 days
Von der Leyen said another prime focus should be revamping EU competitiveness, avoiding what former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi described as the “slow agony” of decline.
The bloc is struggling to keep up with the US and faces mounting competition from China, amid an array of challenges including low productivity, slow growth, high energy costs and weak investment.
France’s Stéphane Séjourné, in charge of the EU’s industrial strategy, will have to work with Spain’s Teresa Ribera, the new competition and green transition chief, to reconcile growth with climate ambitions, while ensuring the competitiveness of European companies.
A “competitiveness compass” will be the commission’s first major initiative, von der Leyen said last week. Its three main pillars would be to boost innovation, support the decarbonization of the economy and diversify the supply of raw materials.
She also intends to present the previously announced Clean Industrial Deal within the first 100 days in office, aimed at unlocking investment, creating leading markets for clean technologies and creating conditions for European companies to grow and compete with rivals in China or the US.
To boost innovation, Bulgaria’s Ekaterina Zaharieva in her role as commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation is tasked with strengthening the European Research Area and has pledged to propose a new European Innovation Act.
She also intends to push EU members to meet a 3% spending target on research and innovation.
Von der Leyen further wants to address the crisis in the automotive industry caused by the transition to low-carbon technologies, the deterioration of supply chains, increased competition from Asia and a decrease in demand for electric models.
Housing and Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen has been tasked with bringing down energy prices and making the EU independent of Russian gas.
“There is no doubt that the green transition is under pressure in many EU countries,” the former Danish minister said.
Von der Leyen also reiterated her firm approach to migration, a topic that is high on the agenda following far-right gains in several countries.
Irregular border crossings into the EU are down 43% this year, after reaching the highest number since 2016 last year.
In October, EU leaders called for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and asked the commission to explore “new ways” to counter irregular migration.
Von der Leyen has promised to swiftly put a proposal on the table, just months after the bloc adopted a long-negotiated reform of its asylum policies.
The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, Europa Press, HINA, Ritzau and STA as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rings the bell at the start of the first meeting of the new college of European Commissioners at the European Commission headquarters. Dati Bendo/European Commission/dpa
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