New EU commission to get all clear with big push on defense and economy

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Wednesday that Europe has “no time to waste” to boost its defenses and its competitiveness, as European lawmakers prepared to greenlight her new executive to start work.

Addressing parliamentarians in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said her team was ready to get to work immediately on rising to the bloc’s mounting challenges — most urgently the Ukraine war “raging at Europe’s borders.”

Appealing for a massive defense spending boost, she said, “We have no time to waste. And we must be as ambitious as the threats are serious.”

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to war in the Middle East, the mounting economic threat from China and the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House, the European Union has its hands full.

“Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength. Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce,” von der Leyen told lawmakers.

Ensuring a swift handover at the helm of the 27-nation bloc after European elections in June is seen as critical.
The new team should formally start its mandate on Sunday, after several of the main groups in parliament reached a deal to back it.

Right, centrist and center-left groups last week agreed to vote in the new 27-member commission as a whole, skippered by Germany’s von der Leyen, 66, for a second term.

That came after all nominees put forward by member states were — for the first time in decades — cleared individually, though only after a bout of political horse-trading.

Parliament has previously used the process to flex its muscles and turn down some candidates.
Weapons and tariffs

The top roles in the new commission speak of the priorities for the next five years.
Estonia’s ex-premier Kaja Kallas is to take over the reins as the bloc’s top diplomat, while Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius landed a new role overseeing the EU’s push to rearm.

Both are hawkish Russia critics.

The EU must swiftly increase defense spending to rival Russian levels, von der Leyen said Wednesday, noting there was “something wrong” when Moscow is spending up to 9% of GDP on defense against the EU’s 1.9%.

She has previously said the bloc needs to invest $526 billion on defense over the next decade if it wants to keep up with Russia and China.

This has become more urgent since Donald Trump was elected as the next U.S. president this month, amid fears he might reduce the U.S. commitment to European security and support for Ukraine.

Similarly, trade policy — under Maros Sefcovic of Slovakia, a seasoned Brussels operative — has shot up the agenda as the bloc will contend with a tariff-loving US president who could push for the EU to buy more American products or face higher duties.

Stephane Sejourne of France is to take charge of industrial strategy at a time when Europe’s manufacturing sector is struggling amid competition from China, high energy costs and weak investments.

The former French foreign minister will have to work hand-in-hand with Spain’s Teresa Ribera, the new competition and green transition chief, to reconcile economic growth with climate ambitions.