Major European Commission Roles Set as von der Leyen Prepares for New Term

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has largely finalized her team for the upcoming term, with several key positions already designated. According to the German newspaper "WELT," which was cited by BGNES, the role of vice-president for economic affairs is set to go to Raffaele Fitto from the Italian Brothers party. This position will be crucial for overseeing the allocation of the European Union's extensive recovery fund. Fitto, who is currently Italy's Minister for European Affairs, is expected to take on this significant role.

Von der Leyen, who secured a second term as head of the Commission in July, plans to announce her full lineup after the deadline on September 6. The other vice-president positions will include Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, who will focus on EU expansion and the recovery of Ukraine, and France's Thierry Breton, who will manage industry and strategic autonomy. Spain's Teresa Ribera will oversee a transitional portfolio that combines ecological and digital issues. Additionally, Kaja Kallas is slated to be the EU foreign policy chief and vice-chairman.

The Bulgarian government has proposed Ekaterina Zaharieva from GERB and Julian Popov from "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) for European Commissioner roles (read more about the candidates here). Maros Šefčovič from Slovakia will continue as Commissioner for Inter-institutional Affairs, Czech Minister Jozef Sikela will handle energy, and Poland's EU ambassador Piotr Serafin will manage budgetary matters.