EU power list: 25 for 2025

Check retired the movers and shakers who volition effort to specify the people of the caller mandate by kick-starting Europe successful 2025. 

The evident few

1. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

After securing her second mandate, von der Leyen volition support moving the EU from Brussels for the adjacent 5 years. With a shaken planetary scenery and the extremity to boost European competitiveness, she volition besides correspond the bloc’s priorities connected the planetary stage.  

1. António Costa, President of the European Council

The Portuguese person volition lead the European Council, taking the baton from his predecessor Charles Michel. Some cardinal conversations person already taken spot connected his ticker regarding migration, the wars successful Ukraine and Gaza, and relations with the caller Trump medication successful the United States.  

1. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for overseas affairs and information policy

Kallas, the EU's caller overseas argumentation chief, volition pb statement connected issues specified arsenic European relations with the caller authorities successful Syria and ties with EU’s borderline countries. Her caller warnings astir the risks of rushing Ukraine into bid negotiations suggest the people she intends to acceptable for the EU. 

4. Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister 

Poland assumes the Presidency of the European Union for the archetypal six months of the year. A beardown advocator for Ukraine, Tusk has pledged to enactment the country’s aspirations to articulation the bloc, an country wherever he’s aligned with von der Leyen arsenic good arsenic successful the request to fortify EU defence capacity. 

5. Mark Rutte, NATO chief 

Rutte volition play a key relation in EU relations with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has wavered successful enactment of NATO citing the disproportionate publication to the confederation contributed by the US. Both cognize each different and person worked unneurotic portion Rutte was Dutch premier curate during Trump’s archetypal mandate. 

1. Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition

As Vice President of the Commission with a almighty portfolio encompassing climate and competition, she holds a pivotal relation successful shaping argumentation successful 2 captious areas. While she has a coagulated grasp of biology issues, her attack to contention remains to beryllium seen, peculiarly whether she volition lucifer the visibility of her predecessor, Margrethe Vestager. 

1. Elon Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX

Musk has gained beardown power successful the governmental scenery successful the US and abroad, beyond his powerfulness arsenic CEO of X and Space X, arsenic President-elect Trump tasked him to pb caller Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s governmental engagement has besides stirred controversy successful Europe aft helium publically endorsed Germany's far-right AfD party. 

1. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy

Giorgia Meloni, the person of Italy’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party, has served arsenic the country’s Prime Minister since 2022. With Italy playing a key relation in EU debates connected migration, economical betterment and vigor policy, its enactment and alliances with different conservatives volition signifier the bloc's absorption and powerfulness dynamics successful Brussels. 

1. Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark

Denmark volition instrumentality connected the EU Presidency successful the 2nd fractional of 2025, succeeding Poland. A beardown state of Ukraine, Denmark has besides been a vocal advocator for steadfast migration policies. In 2024 it led a conjugation of 15 subordinate states successful calling for the outsourcing of migration and asylum policy. 

1. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

Zelenskyy, the erstwhile Ukrainian histrion and comedian who was elected president of Ukraine successful 2019, tin count on ongoing EU fiscal enactment successful dealing with Russian aggression against his country. But Trump’s predetermination arsenic US president mightiness awesome a diminution of US support, presenting Europe with a greater measure successful 2025.  

1. Jordan Bardella, President of the French far-right National Rally

Can Jordan Bardella's popularity in France scope the Strasbourg Parliament? Mocked arsenic “Jordan pas tres la” (“Jordan, not overmuch there”) for his repeated absences from the European Parliament betwixt 2019 and 2024, his predetermination arsenic The Patriots person could herald a stronger power connected the European scene. 

The éminences grises

1. Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group successful the European Parliament

The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) has shifted close nether the decade-long enactment of Bavarian Manfred Weber and is acceptable to proceed arsenic the astir almighty German successful the European Parliament. He recently persuaded the centre-left S&D and wide Renew radical to judge the Italian right-wing commissioner Raffaele Fitto. 

1. Bjoern Seibert, Head of Cabinet of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

A seasoned of von der Leyen’s clip as German defence curate betwixt 2013 and 2019, Seibert is at the bosom of a close-knit interior decision-making ellipse and has played a decisive relation successful coordinating the EU’s sanctions against Russia aft the penetration of Ukraine. 

1. Pedro Lourtie, Head of Cabinet of EU Council President Antonio Costa

As Portuguese ambassador to the EU since 2022, Lourtie is expected to gully connected his diplomatic acquisition – posts successful Paris, Washington and Tunisia – and his familiarity with Brussels, portion serving arsenic the right-hand of European Council President António Costa.  

1. Ilze Juhansone, Secretary General, European Commission

Latvia’s Ilze Juhansone succeeded the almighty Martin Selmayer arsenic Secretary-General of the European Commission successful 2020, aft a governmental vocation successful her location state and a posting arsenic Latvian ambassador to the EU. Juhansone, who keeps a debased profile, helped steer von der Leyen done her archetypal mandate arsenic EU President. 

1. Nicola Procaccini, MEP, Fratelli d’Italia

Italian Nicola Procaccini, a subordinate of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, serves arsenic co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) successful the European Parliament. Following the European elections, the ECR emerged arsenic the third-largest radical successful the chamber, reshaping dynamics and challenging the centrist groups' accepted cordon sanitaire against far-right parties. 

1. Alessandro Chiocchietti, Secretary-General, European Parliament

Chiocchetti’s closed-door assignment to go the European Parliament’s caller secretary-general was arguable successful 2022, arsenic helium antecedently was President Roberta Metsola’s main of staff. The occupation involves determination making powerfulness connected the Parliament’s multi-billion fund and overseeing 8,000 unit members. 

1. Teresa Anjinho, European Ombudsman

Anjinho was elected arsenic the caller EU watchdog by the European Parliament during their past league successful December successful Strasbourg. Her enactment volition chiefly impact responding to complaints - from Europeans who've recovered themselves astatine the crisp extremity of EU bureaucracy, oregon from journalists, activists oregon NGOs seeking greater transparency from EU institutions.   

1. Paula Pinho, Chief Spokesperson, European Commission

Pinho was appointed arsenic Ursula von der Leyen's main spokesperson past November. She has worked for the European Commission since 2000 earlier being selected to caput the Spokesperson's Service. In her caller role, she volition beryllium the archetypal constituent of interaction for the media, acting arsenic a span betwixt the property and the President of the Commission. 

The connected point

1. Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration

Serafin, an economist and Tusk’s erstwhile main of staff, volition beryllium successful complaint of the fund portfolio wherever helium volition need to property EU subordinate states to comply with von der Leyen’s interior reforms and to punish immoderate misbehaving by cutting disconnected entree to funds. Including his autochthonal Poland. 

1. Siegfrid Muresan, Member of the European Parliament

The center-right Muresan, the European Parliament's pb negotiator connected the adjacent semipermanent budget, and seat of the EU-Moldova delegation volition beryllium astatine the centre of intertwined discussions connected enlargement and fund spending. 

1. Janos Boka, Minister of European Affairs, Hungary

Hungary, which has been successful ongoing disputes with Brussels nether the enactment of Viktor Orban, is connected the brink of losing €1 cardinal successful EU wealth that was frozen due to the fact that of rule-of-law breaches. Newly installed János Bóka volition correspond the state successful its ongoing tussles with Brussels. 

1. Mario Draghi, erstwhile Prime Minister of Italy

Draghi’s report on the aboriginal of European competitiveness was the ground for the plans of the caller European Commission, colouring aboriginal proposals by the EU Executive connected economical security, just contention and autonomy.  

1. Simon Harris, Ireland’s Taoiseach

Ireland’s premier curate defended his country’s stance connected planetary instrumentality and quality rights and supported the South African lawsuit against Israel astatine the International Court of Justice – which accuses Israel of committing genocide successful Gaza. Harris is the lone European person to bash truthful - arsenic the warfare Israel-Gaza warfare continues - and faces a diplomatic row.  

1. Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania

Under Rama’s leadership, Albania moves forward with its EU-accession bid, hoping to go a subordinate by 2030. However, the statement helium signed with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni implicit migrant detention centres astatine the fringes of the EU, has been enactment connected clasp arsenic it raised questions astir quality rights. .