2024-11-27 14:57 update: 2024-11-27, 14:58
Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
Piotr Serafin, who is set to become the next European budget commissioner, has said that the EU should become "a synonym of security" as the Russia-Ukraine war rages to the east of the Polish border.
The European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday approved the line-up of the new European Commission (EC), following June's elections to the EP. The EC will again be headed by Ursula von der Leyen of Germany, with Poland's Serafin as the next budget commissioner.
In the vote, 370 MEPs supported the new EC, 282 were against and 36 abstained. Poland's main opposition party, the socially-conservative Law and Justice, voted against.
"Today's vote ends the period when the EU was concerned primarily with itself," Serafin told reporters after the vote in Strasbourg.
"We are facing an escalation of the war in Ukraine, we'll soon be facing a new administration in Washington, we're facing a weakening economy," Serafin said. "Therefore those who voted 'in favour' offered the EU a chance to deal with these problems."
He said EU member states would face a dilemma whether to invest in defence individually or through the EU.
"Today's question to member states is this: Do we get more security for the same money if we spend a part of the defence funds together - through the European budget or other tools that could be created at the European level," he said.
"I want the EU to become a synonym of security, it is especially important in times when a war is raging to the east of Poland," Serafin said.
Two other key challenges facing Europe, according to the new commissioner, are how to reduce regulation and increase competitiveness.
The current European Commission that is now ending its term and is also headed by von der Leyen, has one Polish member, as well - Janusz Wojciechowski as the commissioner for agriculture. The new commision will begin its activity on December 1.
Serafin will hold his office for five years. (PAP)
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