Euractiv.cz | European defense is not in good shape, new commissioner can help

The post of European Defense Commissioner had been discussed for at least a year before Ursula von der Leyen presented the shape of her second European Commission. It was only with the publication last month of the letter of credentials, which acts as a sort of job description for the future commissioner, that the position to be held by former two-time Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius got clearer contours. Zuzana Krulichová, a research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Euractiv.cz.

Andrius Kubilius is an experienced politician, (...) at the same time he is clearly in favour of supporting Ukraine and against Russia. His appointment sends a clear signal abroad. The fact that he is from a smaller EU member state, but from a state that is close to Russia, may also be an advantage for him, as this portfolio is, after all, viewed with some caution.

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Zuzana Krulichová
Research Fellow

Zuzana Krulichová is a research fellow in the Global Europe programme at EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and PhD student at the Department of European Studies, Charles University. She holds an MA in International Relations from Leiden University and an undergraduate degree in Area Studies from Charles University. Generally, she is interested in EU foreign policy and the role of member states in its development, relations between the EU and Indo-Pacific, and global infrastructure projects, such as the BRI or Global Gateway and non-coercive influence in IR. Before starting the PhD programme, she worked for People in Need.