Al Jazeera :
President Ursula von der Leyen has presented a long-awaited list of nominees to make up the next European Commission.
After long-winded, and often bad-tempered, negotiations with member states, von der Leyen presented her selections on Tuesday.
The new European Union executive will lead the bloc for the next five years as it faces challenges including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, migration, climate change, and economic competitiveness.
The appointees, over many of which there has been significant debate, must be confirmed by the European Parliament in a process that could extend to late October.
The “core priorities” of the new team were built around “prosperity, security, and democracy”, the president told reporters in Strasbourg.
“This happens against a backdrop of competitiveness that we need for the twin transition: the decarbonisation and digitalisation of our economies,” she said.
While climate change remained a key topic, von der Leyen said, security and competitiveness “have much more impact on the composition and the design” of her new team compared with her first term.
With a focus on the security challenges posed by Russia, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas was given the nod to take charge of foreign policy.
Another experienced Baltic official, Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius, was presented as the EU’s first defence commissioner. In the new role, he will be charged with building up Europe’s military manufacturing capacity as Brussels struggles to keep up with pledges to arm Ukraine.
The nominee from another Russian neighbour, Finland, was also handed a weighty portfolio. Henna Virkkunen will take on an umbrella role, including security and technology.