BRUSSELS, September 17 () –
The foreign affairs and defence portfolios of the future European Commission will be held by commissioners from Eastern Europe, confirming the shift in foreign policy in recent years with a focus on Russia and raising questions about old priorities such as relations with Africa and Latin America.
The European Commission design presented on Tuesday by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, assigns Estonia the High Representative, while Lithuania will keep the new Defence portfolio, Slovenia will be in charge of the Enlargement policy, Croatia will have the Mediterranean responsibilities and Belgium will be in charge of the Humanitarian Aid portfolio.
Of all these appointments, which must be approved by the European Parliament, the appointment of former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as High Representative was already known, having been part of the negotiations for the top posts last June. Her tough profile with Russia and unwavering support for Ukraine in the context of Russian aggression made her a candidate to lead NATO, but now she will give a new boost to foreign policy, specifically in unprecedented aid to Ukraine, a milestone agreed by the 27 during Josep Borrell’s mandate as head of European diplomacy.
The Baltic leader will be accompanied by Andris Kubilis, currently a Lithuanian MEP and the first person responsible for Defence and Space at the European Commission, who will be tasked with leading the work to increase European arms production, identify investments in Defence, advance the aggregate demand for military material and propose common EU Defence projects.
Faced with the challenge of assuming the new defence portfolio in the European executive, Lithuania had stressed that this position also protects state interests and national security.
The nominee for the Enlargement portfolio is Marta Kos, a politician appointed by the Slovenian government but awaiting a vote in the national parliament. The move comes after Slovenia withdrew its previous candidate, which is seen as a reward for Ljubljana as she will occupy a higher responsibility than the current Humanitarian Aid, with much greater visibility and a direct channel to Ukraine.
The new Mediterranean portfolio will be headed by Dubravka Suica, a Croatian MP who held a vice-presidency during Von der Leyen’s first term in office. The new post includes the responsibilities previously held by the Neighbourhood Commissioner and is concerned with strengthening relations with North African countries, with investment plans, strengthening trade and joint efforts on migration.
END OF ‘CONVERSION THERAPIES’
European policy on Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid will be in the hands of Belgian liberal Hadja Lahbib, who is making the jump to the Commission from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The President of the European Executive entrusts her with strengthening the EU’s emergency preparedness, as well as moving towards a Civil Defence Mechanism and promoting a culture of civil resilience.
Von der Leyen also assigns the Belgian politician the Equality portfolio, with the task of advancing a roadmap for Women’s Rights for 2025 and new Gender Equality and LGBTI strategies, focused on ending discrimination and conversion therapies.
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