EU power list: 25 for 2025

Check out the movers and shakers who will attempt to define the course of the new mandate by kick-starting Europe in 2025. 

The obvious few

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

  

After securing her second mandate, von der Leyen will keep running the EU from Brussels for the next five years. With a shaken international landscape and the goal to boost European competitiveness, she will also represent the bloc’s priorities on the global stage.  

1. António Costa, President of the European Council

 

The Portuguese politician will lead the European Council, taking the baton from his predecessor Charles Michel. Some key conversations have already taken place on his watch regarding migration, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and relations with the new Trump administration in the United States.  

1. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy

 

Kallas, the EU’s new foreign policy chief, will lead debate on issues such as European relations with the new regime in Syria and ties with EU’s border countries. Her recent warnings about the risks of rushing Ukraine into peace negotiations suggest the course she intends to set for the EU. 

4. Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister 

Poland assumes the Presidency of the European Union for the first six months of the year. A strong advocate for Ukraine, Tusk has pledged to support the country’s aspirations to join the bloc, an area where he’s aligned with von der Leyen as well as in the need to strengthen EU defence capacity. 

5. Mark Rutte, NATO chief 

Rutte will play a key role in EU relations with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has wavered in support of NATO citing the disproportionate contribution to the alliance contributed by the US. Both know each other and have worked together while Rutte was Dutch prime minister during Trump’s first 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 powerful portfolio encompassing climate and competition, she holds a pivotal role in shaping policy in two critical areas. While she has a solid grasp of environmental issues, her approach to competition remains to be seen, particularly whether she will match the visibility of her predecessor, Margrethe Vestager. 

1. Elon Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX

  

Musk has gained strong influence in the political landscape in the US and abroad, beyond his power as CEO of X and Space X, as President-elect Trump tasked him to lead new Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s political involvement has also stirred controversy in Europe after he publicly endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD party. 

1. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy

 

Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party, has served as the country’s Prime Minister since 2022. With Italy playing a key role in EU debates on migration, economic reform and energy policy, its leadership and alliances with other conservatives will shape the bloc’s direction and power dynamics in Brussels. 

1. Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark

 

Denmark will take on the EU Presidency in the second half of 2025, succeeding Poland. A strong ally of Ukraine, Denmark has also been a vocal advocate for firm migration policies. In 2024 it led a coalition of 15 member states in calling for the outsourcing of migration and asylum policy. 

1. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

 

Zelenskyy, the former Ukrainian actor and comedian who was elected president of Ukraine in 2019, can count on ongoing EU financial support in dealing with Russian aggression against his country. But Trump’s election as US president might signal a diminution of US support, presenting Europe with a greater bill in 2025.  

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

 

Can Jordan Bardella’s popularity in France reach the Strasbourg Parliament? Mocked as “Jordan pas tres la” (“Jordan, not much there”) for his repeated absences from the European Parliament between 2019 and 2024, his election as The Patriots leader could herald a stronger influence on the European scene. 

The éminences grises

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

 

The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) has shifted right under the decade-long leadership of Bavarian Manfred Weber and is set to continue as the most powerful German in the European Parliament. He recently persuaded the centre-left S&D and liberal Renew group to accept the Italian right-wing commissioner Raffaele Fitto. 

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

 

A veteran of von der Leyen’s time as German defence minister between 2013 and 2019, Seibert is at the heart of a close-knit inner decision-making circle and has played a decisive role in coordinating the EU’s sanctions against Russia after the invasion 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 draw on his diplomatic experience – posts in Paris, Washington and Tunisia – and his familiarity with Brussels, while serving as the right-hand of European Council President António Costa.  

1. Ilze Juhansone, Secretary General, European Commission

 

Latvia’s Ilze Juhansone succeeded the powerful Martin Selmayer as Secretary-General of the European Commission in 2020, after a political career in her home country and a posting as Latvian ambassador to the EU. Juhansone, who keeps a low profile, helped steer von der Leyen through her first mandate as EU President. 

1. Nicola Procaccini, MEP, Fratelli d’Italia

 

Italian Nicola Procaccini, a member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, serves as co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) in the European Parliament. Following the European elections, the ECR emerged as the third-largest group in the chamber, reshaping dynamics and challenging the centrist groups’ traditional cordon sanitaire against far-right parties. 

1. Alessandro Chiocchietti, Secretary-General, European Parliament

 

Chiocchetti’s closed-door appointment to become the European Parliament’s new secretary-general was controversial in 2022, as he previously was President Roberta Metsola’s chief of staff. The job involves decision making power on the Parliament’s multi-billion budget and overseeing 8,000 staff members. 

1. Teresa Anjinho, European Ombudsman

 

Anjinho was elected as the new EU watchdog by the European Parliament during their last session in December in Strasbourg. Her work will mainly involve responding to complaints – from Europeans who’ve found themselves at the sharp end of EU bureaucracy, or from journalists, activists or NGOs seeking greater transparency from EU institutions.   

1. Paula Pinho, Chief Spokesperson, European Commission

 

Pinho was appointed as Ursula von der Leyen’s chief spokesperson last November. She has worked for the European Commission since 2000 before being selected to head the Spokesperson’s Service. In her new role, she will be the first point of contact for the media, acting as a bridge between the press and the President of the Commission. 

The on point

1. Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration

Serafin, an economist and Tusk’s former chief of staff, will be in charge of the budget portfolio where he will need to press EU member states to comply with von der Leyen’s internal reforms and to punish any misbehaving by cutting off access to funds. Including his native Poland. 

1. Siegfrid Muresan, Member of the European Parliament

The center-right Muresan, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the next long-term budget, and chair of the EU-Moldova delegation will be at the centre of intertwined discussions on enlargement and budget spending. 

1. Janos Boka, Minister of European Affairs, Hungary

 

Hungary, which has been in ongoing disputes with Brussels under the leadership of Viktor Orban, is on the brink of losing €1 billion in EU money that was frozen because of rule-of-law breaches. Newly installed János Bóka will represent the country in its ongoing tussles with Brussels. 

1. Mario Draghi, former Prime Minister of Italy

 

Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness was the basis for the plans of the new European Commission, colouring future proposals by the EU Executive on economic security, fair competition and autonomy.  

1. Simon Harris, Ireland’s Taoiseach

 

Ireland’s prime minister defended his country’s stance on international law and human rights and supported the South African case against Israel at the International Court of Justice – which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Harris is the only European leader to do so – as the war Israel-Gaza war 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 become a member by 2030. However, the agreement he signed with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni over migrant detention centres at the fringes of the EU, has been put on hold as it raised questions about human rights. .