EU lawmakers seal a deal to rubber-stamp one of the bloc’s most right-leaning executives

Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers have rubber-stamped a new team of policy commissioners for the next five years to head one of the bloc’s most rightward-leaning executive branches ever. The lawmakers ended a week of bickering on Wednesday over the of 26 nominees to the new European Commission. Since Nov. 4, they’ve held hearings to see whether the candidates are suitable to lead on policies like trade, agriculture or foreign policy under President Ursula von der Leyen. Their approval of the top posts paves the way for an official vote on the entire commission at a plenary session in Strasbourg, France next week. It means that von der Leyen’s new team could start work as soon as Dec. 1.