European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the composition of the new team that will lead Europe. Among the most notable novelties is the proposed six executive vice-presidents.
These key positions have been assigned to Teresa Ribera (Spain), Henna Virkkunen (Finland), Stéphane Séjourné (France), Kaja Kallas (Estonia), Roxana Minzatu (Romania) and the Italian Raffaele Fitto. The latter will be in charge of Cohesion and Reforms, as explained by President von der Leyen during the official press conference.
Teresa Ribera will be responsible for a fair and competitive ecological transition, while Stéphane Séjourné will focus on EU Industrial Policy. Other key roles have been assigned to Henna Virkkunen, who will lead European digitisation, and Roxana Minzatu, responsible for talent and skills development in Europe.
This new European Commission is also distinguished by its strong female representation: 11 women out of 27 members, or 40% of the total. Initially, proposals from member states saw a female quota of only 22 per cent, but von der Leyen insisted on a greater gender balance, saying that while progress has been made, much remains to be done.
