European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to assign jobs in the EU’s executive body on Tuesday, confirming which countries’ representatives will win powerful roles on trade, competition and the green agenda.
The Commission is the 27-country European Union’s most powerful institution. It has the power to propose new EU laws, block mergers between companies and sign free trade deals.
Each EU member state will have one seat at the Commission’s table, a role comparable to a government minister, although its political weight varies greatly depending on the portfolio.
Among the most powerful are the trade and competition briefs, as well as areas such as energy and the EU internal market, where EU laws substantially impact businesses and consumers across Europe.
The next EU Commission is expected to take office by the end of the year, meaning one of its first tasks will be fielding the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November.
A second Trump presidency could sharply alter Western unity on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and up-end EU trade relations with the world’s biggest economy.
