On 17 September 2024, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced her proposed College of Commissioners for the 2024-2029 term of office. The same day, the Commission also published the mission letters sent by President von der Leyen to each Commissioner-designate outlining the roles, responsibilities, and priorities of each policy portfolio. The announcement of the College saw a change in the structure of the Commission – with Commissioners reporting to assigned Executive Vice-Presidents who, in turn, report to President von der Leyen.

This paper, prepared as part of the Future-Proofing Europe project supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, examines the proposed structure from a political and a policy perspective. It explores the top echelon of Executive Vice-Presidents and the relative importance of the clusters of Commissioners who report to them. The paper further analyses the role of the cabinets in terms of political influence and effectiveness. The final part of the analysis looks at the new Commission structures in terms of their relative importance for Ireland and provides some brief concluding remarks.