Von der Leyen Commission

Ekaterina Zaharieva from Bulgaria has been nominated as the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. This announcement was made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Greece's Apostolos Tzitzikostas has been assigned the transport and tourism portfolio in the next European Union executive, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, announcing the body's new makeup.

The governor of Central Macedonia had been nominated for a post in the new Commission in early August.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to announce the new European Commissioners today.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that Greece will provide assistance to Portugal in combating the wildfires that are raging across the country. 

France's powerful European commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday announced he was quitting his role with immediate effect, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had sought at the last-minute to bar him from her incoming team.

Thierry Breton, France's European Commissioner for the Internal Market, has resigned and withdrawn his candidacy for a future European Commission role. Breton's decision comes just a day before President Ursula von der Leyen was set to announce her new team of commissioners.

Faced with the ongoing conflict resulting from Russia's war on Ukraine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to appoint a dedicated defense commissioner, signaling Europe's commitment to bolstering its defense capabilities.

The message is meant to be clear: Europe is serious about rearming.

The reasons why the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President of the EU Orsula von der Leyen on the distortions in the electricity market and the extreme fluctuations between Central and South-Eastern Europe, was explained yesterday by Nikos Tsafos, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ adviser.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged the European Commission to address distortions and fragmentation in the European energy market, which led to significant discrepancies in wholesale electricity prices between Southeastern Europe and other EU countries during the summer, according to the Financial Times.

What does the future hold for EU climate policies? Next week's unveiling of the new European Commission will be watched closely for clues—at a time when defending the environment has slipped down the list of priorities in Brussels.

It is a far cry from five years ago.