A New EU Commission Will Face Major Challenges

The European Parliament is expected to give its final approval Oct. 22 to the new European Commission after weeks of examining the 27 men and women who will be part of President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker's team. Barring last-minute delays, the next commission should become operational in early November and will serve a five-year mandate. The commission's main challenge will be to remain relevant at a time when many members of the European Union are opposing, criticizing or directly ignoring different aspects of the process of Continental integration, while simultaneously trying to address Europe's economic stagnation and political fragmentation.