Credit: European Commission
On Tuesday 17 September 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the list of new Commissioners-delegate and their portfolios.
Among them is Luxembourg MEP Christophe Hansen (CSV/EPP) who has been named Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. In her Mission Letter to Mr Hansen, Ursula von der Leyen tasked him with "strengthen[ing] the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector". Part of this will include preparing a "Vision for Agriculture and Food" in the first 100 days of the new Commission's term of office.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden held a press conference on Tuesday during which he welcomed the "good news". He described the agriculture commissioner role as important for both Luxembourg and Europe, noting that Luxembourg had been aiming for such a role from the beginning. He recalled that about one-third of the EU budget is earmarked for the agricultural sector. The Prime Minister said Christophe Hansen was a good choice based on his skills and European experience but also his personal background - both his father and brother are farmers.
Prime Minister Frieden described the new Commission as "balanced" overall, and said he hoped the European Parliament would approve it quickly, emphasising the importance of "institutional stability".
The proposed Commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen (Germany), is composed of sixteen men and eleven women (i.e. 40%). The Commissioners-designate are as follows:
- Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (Spain), Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
- Henna Virkkunen (Finland), Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
- Stéphane Séjourné (France), Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
- Kaja Kallas (Estonia), High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission
- Roxana Mînzatu (Romania), Executive Vice-President for People, Skills and Preparedness
- Raffaele Fitto (Italy), Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms
- Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia), Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency
- Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia), Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification
- Dubravka Šuica (Croatia), Commissioner for Mediterranean
- Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary), Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare
- Wopke Hoekstra (Netherlands), Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
- Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania), Commissioner for Defence and Space
- Marta Kos (Slovenia), Commissioner for Enlargement (pending formal nomination by her country)
- Jozef Síkela (Czech Republic), Commissioner for International Partnerships
- Costas Kadis (Cyprus), Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans
- Maria Luís Albuquerque (Portugal), Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union
- Hadja Lahbib (Belgium), Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management; Equality
- Magnus Brunner (Austria), Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration
- Jessika Roswall (Sweden), Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
- Piotr Serafin (Poland), Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration
- Dan Jørgensen (Denmark), Commissioner for Energy and Housing
- Ekaterina Zaharieva (Bulgaria), Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation
- Michael McGrath (Ireland), Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law
- Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Greece), Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism
- Christophe Hansen (Luxembourg), Commissioner for Agriculture and Food
- Glenn Micallef (Malta), Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport
