Page 70 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΣ 2024

CURRENT AFFAIRS

THE NEXT The team of Executive Vice-Presidents will work
hand in hand with each other, as well as with all
COLLEGE OF Commissioners. The Commissioners are:
Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia) will be the Commissioner
COMMISSIONERS for Trade and Economic Security, a new port-
folio which also includes customs policy.
President von der Leyen also entrusted him
with the role of Commissioner for Interinsti-
tutional Relations and Transparency.
Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia) will also have a double
role. He will be the Commissioner for Econ-
omy and Productivity. He was also given the
role of Commissioner for Implementation and
Simplification.
Dubravka Šuica (Croatia) will be the Commis-
sioner for the Mediterranean. She will also
be responsible for the wider southern neigh-
President von der Leyen met on Tuesday, 17 Sep- bourhood. She will work closely with Kaja
tember with the Conference of Presidents of the Kallas – and many other Commissioners – to
political groups in the European Parliament. In develop the Commission’s shared interests
this meeting, she presented to the Parliament the with the region.
planned structure of the new College of Commis- Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary) will be the Commissioner
sioners, which is based on her political guidelines for Health and Animal Welfare. He will be
and had been carefully developed and negotiated responsible for building the European Health
with the Member States. Union and continuing the work on preventive
President von der Leyen noted that: “Together, we health and beating cancer.
have defined core priorities. They are built around Wopke Hoekstra (The Netherlands) will be the
prosperity, security, and democracy. The backdrop Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and
is competitiveness in the twin transition. They are Clean Growth. He will continue to work on
all very much intertwined and cross-cutting. The implementation and adaptation, climate
whole college is committed to competitiveness! diplomacy, and decarbonisation. He will also
We have dissipated the former rigid stovepipes”. be responsible for taxation.
The main recommendations of the Draghi report Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania) will be the Commis-
include strengthening the EU’s tech-sovereignty, sioner for Defence and Space. He will work on
security, and democracy, building a competitive, developing the European Defence Union and
decarbonised, and circular economy with a fair boosting the EU’s investment and industrial
transition for all, boosting European cohesion and capacity.
regions, and ensuring Europe can assert its inter- Marta Kos (Slovenia) will be the Commissioner for
ests and lead in the world. Enlargement. She will also be responsible
The new Commission will consist of 11 women and for our Eastern neighbourhood. It should be
16 men. When President von der Leyen received noted that the Government of Slovenia has
the first set of nominations and candidates, she suggested Marta Kos as a Member of the
remarked that 22% were women and 78% were College. The nomination procedure, which
men. “That was unacceptable”, she said, “So I involves the consultation of the national Par-
worked with the Member States, and we were able liament for a non-binding opinion is ongoing.
to improve the balance to 40% women and 60% She will work on supporting Ukraine and
men”. continuing the work on reconstruction while
Ursula von der Leyen also stressed that the new supporting candidate countries to prepare
Commission will have a “leaner structure, more them for accession.
interactive, and interlinked” and will no longer have Jozef Síkela (Czechia) will be the Commissioner
Vice-Presidents, but only six Executive Vice-Presi- for International Partnerships. He will lead
dents, each of whom will have a portfolio to work on the work on Global Gateway and ensure the
with other Commissioners. In particular, six Exec- development of mutually beneficial partner-
utive Vice-Presidents (four women and two men) ships that invest in a common future.
have been appointed, each with different back- Costas Kadis (Cyprus) will be the Commissioner
grounds, in a way that maintains the geographical for Fisheries and Oceans. President von der
and political balance in the EU. Leyen counts on his experience to help build

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