Ursula von der Leyen Unveils Her New Team at the EU Parliament

Strasbourg (Eurotoday) – The EU Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen said her new team is ready to address the bloc’s mounting challenges immediately.

Ursula von der Leyen expressed gratitude to the outgoing College of Commissioners, acknowledging that five years ago, the challenges Europe would face were unforeseen. She praised the dedication and tirelessness of the team, thanking them sincerely for their service to Europe.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, EU Commission President von der Leyen cautioned that Europe has “no time to waste” to strengthen its defenses and its competitiveness, as MEPs prepared to greenlight her latest executive to start work. Pleading for a massive defense spending boost, she stated, “We have no time to waste. And we must be as ambitious as the threats are serious.”

“Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength. Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce,” von der Leyen told MEPs.

How does von der Leyen plan to support candidate countries?

Presenting the latest College of Commissioners and its programme, von der Leyen said Europe’s commitment to the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and other candidate countries “will always be stronger” than Russian efforts to “prevent them having a European future.” 

“The dream of Europe extends to the Western Balkans, to Ukraine, to Moldova and beyond. We have seen the bravery of the people of Ukraine in pursuing their European journey. We have seen the resilience of the people of Moldova to stick to their European future /…/ At the same time, we have seen how Russia will stop at nothing to prevent them from having a European future,” the President of the European Commission stated.


Comments

2 responses to “Ursula von der Leyen Unveils Her New Team at the EU Parliament”

  1. Burst Nibbler Avatar
    Burst Nibbler

    Right, because nothing says “we’re ready to tackle challenges” like assembling a fresh team while the clock’s ticking! 🕰️ Should we have a parade or just pop the champagne already? 🍾

  2. King Panther Avatar
    King Panther

    Another day, another fancy presentation about “strengthening defenses”—I suppose that’s code for “let’s spend more money while looking serious”? 🤔 Just what we need, a fresh team to tackle the same old spaghetti of problems! 🍝

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

„Ami go home“ oder Bündnis mit Trump?

„Ami go home“ oder Bündnis mit Trump?

Das Rentenniveau von 70 Prozent war lange Zeit ein zentrales Versprechen der AfD, obwohl Experten es als nicht finanzierbar betrachteten. Vor der Fraktionsklausur nach Ostern deutet sich nun ein radikaler Kurswechsel an. Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler analysieren, wie die Partei von dieser Marke abrückt, warum ein „Junior-Depot“ für deutsche Kinder helfen soll und wie die AfD versucht,

Read More

"Rubio Warns US May Rethink NATO Post-Iran Conflict: ‘Not a Very Good Arrangement’"

"Rubio Warns US May Rethink NATO Post-Iran Conflict: ‘Not a Very Good Arrangement’"

European countries are increasingly resisting U.S. requests for assistance against Iran, despite President Donald Trump’s growing frustration with Washington’s historic allies.
Spain has emerged as a key point of tension in this transatlantic divide. Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo stated on Monday that Madrid has barred U.S. military aircraft involved in the Middle East conflict f

Read More

Hungary’s Unfair Election: Why Viktor Orbán is So Hard to Beat

Hungary’s Unfair Election: Why Viktor Orbán is So Hard to Beat

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights NGO, cautioned that a law on voter tourism “poses a risk of multiple voters reregistering in single constituencies expecting a tight race, aiming to influence election results.” The European Platform for Democratic Elections, an independent alliance of European election observers based in Warsaw, also raised alarms regarding this practice, indicatin

Read More

Le Pen Criticizes Trump Amid Escalating Energy Crisis Due to Iran Conflict

Le Pen Criticizes Trump Amid Escalating Energy Crisis Due to Iran Conflict

Following her initial support for the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran at the outset of the conflict, Le Pen last week criticized Trump for his “erratic war goals” and the “mistake” of targeting Iran, as stated in her interview with France Inter radio.
Trump had reached out to Le Pen and the National Rally upon beginning his second term in January 2025. However, the party has increasingly viewed Washi

Read More

The Prisoner of the Period: 14 Years in an Iranian Prison

The Prisoner of the Period: 14 Years in an Iranian Prison

Some narratives may not initially appear as violent as being shot for protesting, or hanged for asking for freedom, or refusing to sing the anthem at sports events. However, when you are arrested, beaten, and sentenced to 14 years in prison for merely correcting Iran’s supreme leader with a punctuation mark on social media, it exposes the intense ego and moral state of Iran’s theocr

Read More

Irish Lawmaker Urges Stripe to Defy US Sanctions on UN Investigator Albanese

Irish Lawmaker Urges Stripe to Defy US Sanctions on UN Investigator Albanese

Sanctions placed on Albanese by the Trump administration, following her allegations against governments and corporations for being involved in genocide in Gaza, resulted in her and her family being cut off from U.S. banking, travel, and technology — including transactions by American intermediaries such as Stripe. The Israeli government has firmly denied allegations of genocide.
“I understand, as

Read More

Ignitis Group Finalizes Sale Transaction

Ignitis Group Finalizes Sale Transaction

AB “Ignitis grupė“ (the Group) announces the completion of selling 49% of its shares in UAB Vilniaus kogeneracinė jėgainė (Vilnius CHP). The 49% stake was purchased by Quaero European Infrastructure Fund III, managed by Quaero Capital SA (Quaero Capital).
The transaction finalized on 30 March 2026, following approval from the Group’s General Meeting of Shareholders on 25 March 2026, regulat

Read More

Poland to Keep Patriot Air Defense Systems, Not Diverting to Gulf

Poland to Keep Patriot Air Defense Systems, Not Diverting to Gulf

The report from Polish daily Rzeczpospolita on Tuesday claimed that U.S. officials requested Poland to relocate one of its Patriot batteries to the Middle East due to increased pressure on air defense resources amid Iran’s retaliatory drone strikes on U.S. Gulf allies.
A senior defense official from a NATO country, speaking anonymously, clarified that Poland was not specifically targeted by

Read More

OSCE Evaluation of France: Secularism, Security, and Minority Issues

OSCE Evaluation of France: Secularism, Security, and Minority Issues

A Rigorous Assessment in Paris
PARIS — In June 2025, a delegation of officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) arrived in Paris. Led by Ambassador Evren Dağdelen Akgün, Rabbi Andrew Baker, and Professor Wolfgang Palaver, the Personal Representatives of the OSCE Chair-in-Office undertook a comprehensive mission to assess the state of freedom of religion or beli

Read More

Sudan’s Worsening Conflict: Drones, Foreign Aid, and the Road to Accountability

Sudan’s Worsening Conflict: Drones, Foreign Aid, and the Road to Accountability

The conflict in Sudan has persisted for nearly three years, with United Nations agencies declaring it the globe’s largest humanitarian crisis, characterized by “sustained violence” and “restricted humanitarian access.” Civilian casualties are rising due to an increased use of advanced weaponry, notably drones. By March 24, 2026, drone strikes had killed over 500 civi

Read More