European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in favor of the idea of appointing a Defense Commissioner, a spokesperson for the institution said on Thursday, as the EU strengthens its military capabilities in the face of war in Ukraine.
A new Commission - which will, like the current one, have 27 members, one per state - will be formed after the June elections which will renew the European Parliament.
“It will be up to the head of this Commission to decide the composition of the college (of commissioners) and the specific roles”
to be distributed, recalled a spokesperson for the European executive during a press briefing.
“What I can say is that President von der Leyen welcomes positively, very positively, this idea”
of having a commissioner dedicated to Defense, a specific position not existing at the moment, a- she added, specifying that it was
“simply a comment on his part”
.
EU “strategic autonomy”
According to a German conservative official, Ursula von der Leyen could announce on Monday that she is seeking a second term.
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton is currently also responsible for defense industries, the rise of which he is striving to ensure since the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The words of former American President Donald Trump, who raised the possibility of no longer defending NATO countries reluctant to invest in their defense, have also rekindled in recent days the debate on a strengthening of
" strategic autonomy”
of the EU.
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