Von der Leyen Names European Commission's New Top Team

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press conference on the suggested structure and portfolios of the college of European Commissioners in Strasbourg, France September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press conference on the suggested structure and portfolios of the college of European Commissioners in Strasbourg, France September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
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Von der Leyen Names European Commission's New Top Team

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press conference on the suggested structure and portfolios of the college of European Commissioners in Strasbourg, France September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a press conference on the suggested structure and portfolios of the college of European Commissioners in Strasbourg, France September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday named Spain's ecological transition minister Teresa Ribera as the bloc's next antitrust commissioner while Estonia's Kaja Kallas will be in charge of foreign policy.
Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius will become the EU's first defense commissioner - a new role designed to build up European military manufacturing capacity in the face of Russian aggression in Europe's eastern flank.
Other names on the list of EU Commissioners include French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in charge of industrial strategy, while Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic will oversee trade policies, Reuters reported.
The Commission is the 27-country European Union's most powerful institution. It has the power to propose new EU laws, block mergers between companies and sign free trade deals.
Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission's table, a role comparable to a government minister, although its political weight varies greatly depending on the portfolio.
All candidates will undergo hearings with lawmakers in the European Parliament who have to sign off on their nomination.
Ribera will need to fill the footsteps of Denmark's long-serving antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, who in recent years stepped up the pressure on Big Tech to allow fair competition on its platforms.
She will also oversee the EU's stance on foreign subsidies, another hot-button issue as companies in key sectors like electric vehicles and energy production are struggling to defend their business models against cheap competition from abroad, particularly from China.
All commissioners will report to German conservative von der Leyen, who this summer was handed a second term as EU chief executive by member states after her political camp won the most votes in EU elections.
The next EU Commission is expected to take office by the end of the year, meaning one of its first tasks will be fielding the outcome of the US presidential election in November.
A second Trump presidency could sharply alter Western unity on supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion and up-end EU trade relations with the world's biggest economy.
There was some drama on Monday on the next Commission's line-up, when France picked Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as its new candidate after the incumbent, Thierry Breton, abruptly quit with tough words for von der Leyen.



UN Names Former British Diplomat Tom Fletcher to Lead Aid Efforts

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
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UN Names Former British Diplomat Tom Fletcher to Lead Aid Efforts

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.
Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday appointed former British diplomat Tom Fletcher as the new aid chief for the world body amid worsening humanitarian crises in the Gaza Strip, Sudan and elsewhere, largely driven by conflict.

Fletcher replaces Martin Griffiths, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons.

Fletcher - who is currently the principal of Hertford College, Oxford - was the British ambassador to Lebanon from 2011-2015 and served as the foreign and development policy adviser to three British prime ministers between 2007-2011, the UN said in a statement.

He "has strong experience of leading and transforming organizations and bringing an understanding of diplomacy at the highest levels," the UN said.

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said he did not know when Fletcher would take up the role.

The announcement comes as UN efforts to tackle humanitarian needs around the world are significantly underfunded.

The UN has appealed for $49 billion in 2024 to help 187.6 million of the people in need across 73 countries. But the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Fletcher will lead, said on Wednesday that so far it has only received $16.21 billion.