After receiving consent from the European Parliament, a new European Commission is set to take up its duties on December 1, 2024. This new commission is to stay for 5 years, their reign ending on October 31, 2029. With returning president Ursula Von Der Leyen from Germany, the European Commission, comprising of 18 regular European commissioners, 8 vice-presidents, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the President, is now right-leaning. This reflects the rightward shift of European politics.
What is the European Commission?
The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU and serves many roles in the organization. The official European Commission website states that the role of the Commission is that it “helps to shape the EU’s overall strategy, proposes new EU laws and policies, monitors their implementation, and manages the EU budget. It also plays a significant role in supporting international development and delivering aid.” It also manages the day-to-day business of the EU. To do its duties, the European Commission has a set of intricate roles that helps streamline the process of managing the EU. The most important role of the EU Commission is the President, who sets the direction of policy, which helps the Commission decide its intention. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, considered one of the Vice Presidents of the Commission as an ex officio since the Treaty of Lisbon, forms and enacts the EU’s foreign and security policy. Like the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the 7 other vice presidents of the European Commission coordinate affairs in their areas of expertise. 3 of those 7 vice presidents are executive vice presidents. They have a Directorate-General under their command, and their areas of command are the most pressing issues of the European Commission.
Who are the new European commissioners?
As already stated, the president of the new European Commission is Ursula Von Der Leyen (Germany), and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is Kaja Kallas (Estonia). The European council website also lists representatives from Austria, Belgium, and Slovakia.
What are the goals of the new European Commission?
The European Commission has set many goals, including economic, military, civil, climate, and diplomatic goals, for the next 5 years. The main economic goal of the European Commission is to help make Europe more competitive and innovative as a continent. The Europe’s Choice plan outlines the process on how they want to do this. Simply, they are going to make it easier to create a thriving business by using the Simple Market strategy. They want to expand the simple market strategy to more sectors of the economy, such as energy, finance, and defense. Europe Choice’s plan also outlines how the new European Commission wants to make the EU’s military stronger. They are planning to do this by increasing investment into the military, upgrading cyber defense capabilities, increasing the partnership between the EU and NATO, and preventing chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological threats. The same plan outlines how the European Commission wants to expand on their civil responsibilities. They want to do this by supporting fair wages, great working conditions, and the opportunity for job transitions. They also want to address the growing housing crisis that has plagued Europe and uphold the quality of life in Europe. To uphold this quality of life. The European Commission is focusing on farmers so that they can build a thriving agriculture industry. Climate is another pressing concern for the new European Commission. They plan to address climate issues by mapping risks and preparing for infrastructural, agricultural, and energy needs. The final thing the plan outlines is their outlook on foreign relations. The new commission expresses the need to continue their support of Ukraine. They also want a resolution to the conflicts in the Middle East. To do this, they want to make a stronger and larger EU to increase their geopolitical influence. These are the main plans for the European Commission for the next 5 years.
Written by Samarth Irani
