From journalists to diplomats, MEPs to reality TV stars, Euronews takes a peek behind the CVs at the 27 senior officials likely to lead the EU executive for the next five years.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spent weeks attempting to assemble her top team for a second term in office — but who are the 26 lieutenants likely to serve under her?
Finding a roster of candidates to serve in the EU executive — one from each member state — has offered its fair share of political intrigue, including last-minute U-turns and shock resignations.
On Monday, France’s incumbent Commissioner Thierry Breton, who’s had several public disputes with von der Leyen, quit and lashed out at her “questionable governance” after learning he wouldn’t be serving a second term.
Others saw hopes dashed as von der Leyen sought to achieve a gender-balanced top team. Slovenia’s eleventh-hour switch to a female candidate, after long insisting it wanted to see top auditor Tomaž Vesel sent to Brussels, has played havoc with domestic politics.
The final roster shows an eclectic mix of backgrounds — starting with von der Leyen herself, who previously trained as a gynaecologist.
Prospective commissioners include three former prime ministers, four former foreign ministers, five ex-finance ministers, and ten one-time MEPs.
The list also includes journalists from Belgium and Finland, academics from Cyprus and Croatia, and career diplomats from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
The college now needs to be approved by the European Parliament, and that might prove tricky, not least for those who don’t seem to have much experience (waves at Malta’s 35-year-old Glenn Micaleff) — and still worse for those previously caught calling MEPs “idiots”. (Take a bow, Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi).
Those who do make it through will be in charge of key issues, ranging from protecting the environment to supporting Ukraine.
Click on each candidate to learn more about their CVs and the personalities who will shape EU policy in the years to come.
Austria
Magnus Brunner
Current job: Austrian finance minister
Belgium
Hadja Lahbib
Current job: Belgian minister of foreign affairs
Bulgaria
Ekaterina Zaharieva
Current job: Member of Bulgarian parliament
Julian Popov
Current job: Fellow of the European Climate Foundation
Croatia
Dubravka Šuica
Current job: European commissioner for democracy and demography
Cyprus
Costas Kadis
Current job: Acting dean at the School of Health Sciences at Frederick University in Cyprus (previously served as Cyprus’ minister of health, education and culture, and agriculture and environment)
Czech Republic
Jozef Síkela
Current job: Czech industry and trade minister
Denmark
Dan Jørgensen
Current job: Minister for development cooperation and global climate policy
Estonia
Kaja Kallas
Current job: Stepped down as Estonian prime minister in July after being picked by EU leaders as the bloc’s next foreign policy chief
Finland
Henna Virkkunen
Current job: Member of the European Parliament
France
Stéphane Séjourné
Current job: French Minister of Foreign Affairs
Germany
Ursula von der Leyen
Current job: European Commission president
Greece
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
Current job: Governor of Central Macedonia
Hungary
Olivér Várhelyi
Current job: European commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement
Ireland
Michael McGrath
Current job: Irish finance minister
Italy
Raffaele Fitto
Current job: Italian Europe minister
Latvia
Valdis Dombrovskis
Current job: European Commission executive vice president for an economy that works for people/European commissioner for trade
Lithuania
Andrius Kubilius
Current job: Member of the European Parliament
Luxembourg
Christophe Hansen
Current job: Member of the European Parliament
Malta
Glenn Micallef
Current job: Prime Minister Robert Abela’s adviser on EU affairs, after serving as Abela’s “sherpa” for four years
The Netherlands
Wopke Hoekstra
Current job: European commissioner for climate action
Poland
Piotr Serafin
Current job: Poland’s ambassador to the EU
Portugal
Maria Luís Albuquerque
Current job: On the supervisory board at Morgan Stanley Europe and the advisory boards of several Portguese universities. Also a member of the National Council of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party
Romania
ROXANA MÎNZATU
Current job: Member of the European Parliament
Slovakia
Maroš Šefčovič
Current job: European Commission executive vice president for the European Green Deal/Commission vice-president for interinstitutional relations
Slovenia
Marta Kos
Current job: Former ambassador to Germany and Switzerland
Spain
Teresa Ribera
Current job: Spain’s deputy prime minister and minister for the ecological transition
Sweden
Jessika Roswall
Current job: Sweden’s minister for EU affairs
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