enr - Brussels

7 December 2024 

The European Union’s new team of executives, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, took office on Sunday (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 Donald Trump’s return to the White House and addressing illegal immigration – the new Commission has its work cut out for it.

Last week, the European Parliament gave its final approval for the new Commission to start its five-year mandate, with 370 votes in favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions. “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 the vote. 

Kaja Kallas, former Prime Minister of Estonia, took over as the bloc’s new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, replacing former EU top diplomat Josep Borrell. Along with the new team of Commissioners, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa took office as the new President of the European Council, replacing former president Charles Michel.

The European Commission’s leadership team consists of 27 members, one for each EU member state headed by von der Leyen. The new EU executive has been in preparation since the 27-nation bloc held European elections in June.   

Strong signals for Europe – and for Ukraine  

On their first day in office, Costa and Kallas – joined by Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos – travelled to Kyiv 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,” EU foreign policy chief Kallas said. 

According to Costa, the support included humanitarian, financial, military and diplomatic support.

On Ukraine’s EU accession process, Kos, who used to be the 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 European Union officially opened accession negotiations with Ukraine in June. On Sunday, Costa said he would work together with Kyiv to open at least two areas of accession negotiations in the first half of 2025.

Due to Russia’s aggression, the EU changed its position regarding the policy of enlargement towards its eastern neighbours when it granted candidate status to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. This was unthinkable before the war, as the EU has traditionally been cautious about enlargement – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has given the prospect of expanding the bloc a new impetus.

However, Costa said that he was against “artificially set deadlines” in the accession process, which is a departure from the position of Charles Michel, who said that the EU and candidate countries should be ready for enlargement by 2030.

A boost for defence spending  

Outlining the priorities of her new Commission last week, EU chief von der Leyen stressed the importance of increasing defense spending and the need to maintain the unity of the EU.

Stepping up Europe’s defences has been a priority since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, 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,” she said.

Europe together has spent around 125 billion Dollars (119 billion Euro) on supporting Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion. The United States alone have coughed up over 90 billion Dollars (85 billion Euro), according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute, a German independent, non-profit economic research institute and think tank.

Von der Leyen has previously said the bloc needs to invest 500 billion Euro (526 billion Dollar) over the next decade to keep up with Russia and China. This has become more urgent since Donald Trump was re-elected as US president, amid fears he might reduce the US’ 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 new foreign policy chief 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 from the new Commission’s first 100 days 

Commission President von der Leyen said that another prime focus of her new team should be revamping EU economic competitiveness, avoiding what former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has described as the “slow agony” of decline.

The bloc struggles 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 investments. 

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 economic growth with climate ambitions without threatening the competitiveness of European companies. 

A “competitiveness compass” framing the Commission’s strategy will be its first major initiative, von der Leyen said last week. The three main pillars of this compass would be to boost innovation, support the decarbonisation of the economy and diversify supply of raw materials.

She also intends to present the previously announced Clean Industrial Deal within the first 100 days in office. The Deal is aimed at unlocking investment, creating leading markets for clean technologies and creating the 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 Startups, Research and Innovation is tasked with strengthening the European Research Area and pledged to propose a new European Innovation Act. She also intends to push EU member states to meet the three-percent spending target on research and innovation. And she is tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy for start-ups.

Von der Leyen also said that she 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.

On energy security and prices as well as the housing crisis, Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen has been tasked with bringing down energy prices and making the EU independent of Russian gas in his role as Commissioner for Housing and Energy.

As the bloc looks to increase its production of renewable energy, the former Danish minister said: “There is no doubt that the green transition is under pressure in many EU countries. But I am very optimistic that we in the European Commission can actually continue to be quite ambitious.”

Von der Leyen also reiterated her firm approach to migration. Irregular border crossings into the European Union are down 43 percent this year after an almost ten-year peak in 2023 – yet migration is high on the political agenda following far-right gains in several countries.

In October, EU leaders called for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and for 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. 

Photo: EC/dpa