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EU to get ‘defense commissioner’ – Von der Leyen — RT World News

The President of the European Commission suggested that someone from Eastern Europe play this role

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will appoint a specialist “Defense Commissioner” If she keeps her job after the EU elections in June, she said on Saturday. The exact duties of the role are unclear.

He added: “If I were president of the next European Commission, I would have a Defense Commissioner.” Von der Leyen said at the Munich Security Conference. Creating such a post would be tantamount to… “reasonable” She added the decision.

Von der Leyen and its 27 commissioners are not directly elected by European voters. Instead, the President of the Commission is nominated by the European Council and approved or rejected by the European Parliament. If approved, the President then chooses 27 commissioners, usually one from each member state.

The next committee will be formed while Hungary – whose prime minister has a hostile relationship with von der Leyen – holds the rotating presidency of the council. While the right-wing parties as well Expected Von der Leyen's centrist European People's Party is likely to remain the largest faction in the 720-seat legislature.

The European People's Party supported the appointment of a Defense Commissioner. In a draft statement seen by Euractiv last month, the party said whoever holds the position should be responsible for ensuring the EU spends 0.5% of its common budget on defense and directs an equal share to reform the bloc's ailing arms industry.

Von der Leyen did not elaborate on these responsibilities, nor did she suggest whether the Defense Commissioner would have any input into the bloc's overall process. Military strategyWhich was set for the first time by the European Council in 2022.

The Chairman of the Committee said that “Opens” A question about the nationality that will hold this position. However, she added that it is “Important” For an Eastern European citizen to have a good portfolio, and “That's a good wallet.”

Earlier this week, an anonymous European diplomat told Politico magazine that Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas are the front-runners for the job. Both are outspoken supporters of Ukraine, along with the German media Reports preparation Reports on Saturday said that Kalas missed an opportunity to replace Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General due to her hard-line stance on Russia.

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