Ursula von der Leyen names 26 members of new European Commission

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled Tuesday the 26 names of her picks for the new commission that will govern the European Union for the next five years.

Among the nominees -- 16 men and 10 women subject to a confirmation process by Members of the European Parliament -- are former prime, foreign and finance ministers, 10 former MEPs as well as journalists, academics and former Hungarian, Slovakian and Polish diplomats.

Von der Leyen put forward the names of 13 candidates from her European People's Party , five from the center-right Renew party, four from the Socialists and Democrats group with the remainder from smaller parties.

The top foreign affairs, green transition and competition enforcement, and industrial strategy jobs went to Estonia's Kaja Kallas, Portugal's Teresa Ribera and France's Stephane Sejourne, replacing Thierry Breton who quit Monday in a row with von der Leyen in which he accused her of plotting to oust him.

Romania's Roxana Mînzatu and Finland's Henna Virkkunen were also promoted to vice presidential roles, while incumbents Maros Sefcovic of Slovakia, Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia and Croatia's Dubravka Suica were demoted.

The commission, or college, is a 27-strong cabinet of officials from all EU member states, with each responsible for enforcing EU law across the bloc for a specific portfolio ranging from environment and climate, industrial and economic policy, foreign affairs, migration, farming and fishing. They also represent the bloc internationally.

Von der Leyen, of Germany, told a news conference Tuesday that the structure of her new commission was defined by agreed core priorities.

"They are built around prosperity, security, democracy. The backdrop is: competitiveness in the twin [green and digital] transitions, and they are very much intertwined and cross-cutting.

"Today, I have met with the Conference of Presidents of the political groups in the European Parliament. In this meeting I presented to the Parliament the planned structure of the new college, based on my political guidelines, on which we worked together; intensive weeks of negotiations with the Member States.

"The whole college is committed to competitiveness! We have dissipated the former rigid stovepipes."

Von der Leyen said the drive was in line with a major report by former European Central Bank president and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi released last week which warned that the EU needed a "far more coordinated industrial policy, more rapid decisions and massive investment" to keep its economy growing at similar rates to the United States and China and issued dire predictions of failure to do so.

"Strengthening our tech-sovereignty, security and democracy. Building a competitive, decarbonized and circular economy, with a fair transition for all. Designing a bold industrial strategy with innovation and investment at its heart. Boosting European cohesion and regions. Supporting people, skills and our social model. Ensuring Europe can assert its interests and lead in the world," said von der Leyen.

She also boasted that her proposed commission was a "leaner, more interactive, interlinked" and balanced in the scope of its portfolios and geographical and gender representation noting that she had negotiated an almost doubling to 40% of the number of women in member states' original nominations.