Ursula von der Leyen Unveils New EU Commission Line-up

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced her new team to lead the EU's key institution for the next five years, focusing on climate change, the war in Ukraine, and China's rise. The team includes Andrius Kubilius as the EU's first defence commissioner and Teresa Ribera as the antitrust commissioner.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday named her team, which will lead the EU's most powerful institution for the next five years, tailoring it to focus on challenges posed by climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the rise of China. Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius will be the European Union's first defence commissioner, with the new role designed to build up European military manufacturing capacity in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, on the bloc's eastern flank.

Spain's Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera will be the bloc's next antitrust commissioner, also in charge of a 'clean, just and competitive transition'. 'She will guide the work to ensure that Europe stays on track for its goals set out in the European Green Deal. And that we decarbonise and industrialise our economy at the same time,' von der Leyen told a news conference.

Climate change 'is the major backdrop of all what we are doing,' von der Leyen said. But, compared to her first five-year term, 'the topic of security, triggered by the Russian war in Ukraine, but also the topic of competitiveness, have ... much more impact on the composition and the design' of her new team, she said.

(With inputs from agencies.)