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.
Jack Schickler, Marta Iraola Iribarren, Cynthia Kroet, Paula Soler, Robert Hodgson, Marta Pacheco, Jorge Liboreiro, Fatih Yetim and Mared Gwyn Jones contributed to this story.
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