World

If not Ursula, then who? Seven in the wings for Commission top job

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2024

If not Ursula, then who? Seven in the wings for Commission top job

The Commission chief post will be put up for grabs after the EU elections. Who might be the other options to Ursula von der Leyen?

A re-appointment of Ursula von der Leyen at the helm of the EU executive seemed a matter of course, but her leadership of the EU executive has lost its lustre in the wake of the withdrawal from office of her pick for SME envoy, Markus Pieper, and following some wobbles over her response to the crisis in the Middle East.

The possibility that she mightn’t now get the nod of both EU leaders and incoming MEPs this summer has become a more realistic prospect.

Her main selling point has always been continuity with the current Commission, but also the lack of actual competitors for her post.

Alternative names are now doing the rounds, however – at least in Brussels – although other candidates won’t formally throw their hat in the ring before the elections.

Mario Draghi, the Wizard

Draghi’s speech (16 April) at the high-level social forum in La Hulpe was hailed by the Italian press as a thinly disguised candidacy for the top job. Even in Brussels, the former Italian prime minister enjoys a reputation for making things happen, as if by magic.

The secrets of his witchcraft remain elusive, however – his spell in the face of the euro-area debt crisis was “whatever it takes”. He appears to be developing a new incantation in connection with the report on competitiveness he is preparing, commissioned by von der Leyen herself, referring to the need for “a radical change”.

Pros: Probably the most known European politician with an aura of infallibility, also perceived to be above the fray of party politics.

Cons: The risk of having someone who’s “too good” in the top job, overshadowing everyone else – one reason that led Italian parties to pull the plug on his premiership.

Odds: EU leaders and MEPs unlikely to reject Draghi, even Viktor Orban has told reporters in Brussels he “likes” him.

Kristalina Georgieva, the Evergreen

Outgoing European Council President Charles Michel – who will be a key broker in negotiations for the next EU top jobs – said ahead of the special April EU summit that the next Commission will be an ‘economic’ one.

If this is true, who better than the current International Monetary Fund director, Kristalina Georgieva, for the top job?

The name of the former EU budget Commissioner is an evergreen when EU key posts are discussed – and was already circulated in 2019 when von der Leyen was ultimately appointed.

Pros: She could be Eastern Europe’s long-awaited first Commission chief since the ‘Great Enlargement’.

Cons: She has just been reappointed as IMF Director and compared to other candidates, has fewer connections to the key decision-makers in Brussels.

Odds: Strong with the Council for her support of Eastern countries, solid to shaky in the Parliament.

Andrej Plenković, the Outsider

If its official Spitzenkandidat von der Leyen should fall, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) has other strings to its bow – including Plenković.

The Croatian prime minister has led the government since 2016 and might be tempted to pursue a more international career, particularly if his party is defeated in the national elections scheduled for this week.

Pros: Longstanding experience as head of government, emanates from EU’s newest member state – a goodwill signal to candidate countries on the waiting list.

Cons: More ‘political’ than ‘policy’ oriented profile.

Odds: Friendship with many fellow EU leaders might make it easy to be appointed but confirmation would rely on coalition-building ability in Parliament.

Roberta Metsola, the Apprentice

When Time magazine included Metsola among 100 emerging leaders shaping the world in 2023, von der Leyen herself penned the accompanying encomium.

“Do not ever give in to cynicism. You can be the engine of change,” the current Commission chief advised the younger politician who might now succeed her mentor.

In her short international career, Metsola has burnished her EPP credentials, becoming the first EU politician to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

She’s no frontrunner however: her name would likely emerge if there was no agreement on reappointing von der Leyen and likelier candidates fell away.

Pros: Charisma and youth, plus strong pro-European credentials.

Cons: Lack of international experience, no previous jobs in any government – a problem for EU leaders.

Odds: Easier in the Parliament as outgoing president, more challenging in the European Council.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Ace

Greece’s prime minister could prove another ace in the hole for the EPP if things get tough around the negotiating table. In a recent tweet, EPP party leader Manfred Weber said that Mitsotakis “represents EPP leadership at its best” – words he’d not likely offer von der Leyen.

Mitsotakis is well-liked by fellow EU leaders and could also be a good pick for chairing the European Council if the EPP fails to take the Commission post.

At the recent Euronews ON AIR event, the Greek leader highlighted three main drives for the next EU term: strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and food security – sounding prepared for a State of the Union speech.

Pros: Previous experience as EU leader. He speaks good English and French, and enough German to address the plenary in the annual State of the Union address.

Cons: The whiff of domestic scandal could make him a risky choice.

Odds: Strong with the Council, relying on the political majority in the Parliament as EPP candidate.

Christine Lagarde, the Banker

The current European Central Bank (ECB) governor would be another solid pick if Michel’s prophecy about an ‘economic’ Commission turns out to be right – particularly if negotiations fall into stalemate.

In 2019, she won the helm of the ECB given a push by Emmanuel Macron and might well be the French president’s pick once again.

Pros: Good record wherever she’s been, from the French government to the IMF and the ECB.

Cons: A choice that would look bureaucratic or detached from citizens, too close to Macron (for good or ill).

Odds: If her name emerges at the leaders’ table, it’s a sure sign they’re running out of ideas and she could be one of the last good picks available. Could she win the support of a right-leaning Parliament, however?

Klaus Iohannis, the Strategist

What if Michel is wrong and Europe opts for another ‘geopolitical’ Commission? In this case, the Romanian President’s name might emerge like a rabbit from the hat.

Iohannis is also running for NATO Secretary General – although Dutch PM Mark Rutte seems to have the edge in that race – so he has a ready-made vision for Europe’s defence that might be recyclable for the next Commission.

Pros: Candidate from an Eastern country and the EPP.

Cons: Depends on the outcome of the NATO race.

Odds: Relatively well viewed in the European Council, but needs an EPP majority in the Parliament.

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World

Wall Street has misgivings about Mamdani as mayor, but prepares for collaboration

Published

4 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Wall Street has misgivings about Mamdani as mayor, but prepares for collaboration

NEW YORK, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Wall Street and the finance industry have broad misgivings about the prospect of frontrunner Zohran Mamdani becoming New York City’s mayor, but many are hopeful he moderates his positions as they prepare to try and work alongside him.

Mamdani’s policies, opens new tab range from hiking taxes on New York City’s wealthiest, raising the corporation tax, freezing stabilized apartment rental rates and increasing publicly subsidized housing, raising worries among the finance community that the city’s competitiveness will suffer.

“There are a whole bunch of ideas that are well-intentioned. What I agree with is that he has attracted real passion,” said Cromwell Coulson, chief executive at Manhattan-based markets data and trading platform OTC Markets Group. Still, Coulson cited concerns, saying that some people could be driven to leave the city if it becomes an unfriendly place for commerce.

“It won’t be day one, but you will see where our hiring footprints go,” said Coulson, who said he ultimately supports Mamdani’s top rival in the race, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, a moderate Democrat. Republican Curtis Sliwa is also on the ballot in the November 4 election.

Reuters spoke to more than half a dozen other members of the finance community, including executives or representatives of financial firms or industry sectors, who declined to be named talking about politics.

“If the election turns out the way the polls suggest, … let’s hope that the worst fears of what might occur thereafter are not realized and that the new mayor, whoever it might be, continues to realize the importance of the business community to the city,” Peter Orszag, CEO of financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard CEO, said on a recent earnings conference call. Orszag had served under Democratic former President Barack Obama as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Some heavyweights in finance have poured money into efforts to defeat Mamdani. High-profile investor Bill Ackman posted on X on Sunday, opens new tab that Mamdani’s “anti-business policies including higher corporate taxes will kill NYC jobs and cause companies to flee.” Ackman has donated $1 million to Defend NYC, opens new tab, which describes itself as a “bipartisan group of New Yorkers united by a shared concern over the policies and record of Zohran Mamdani,” and $750,000 to Fix the City, opens new tab, which supports Cuomo, according to data on the New York City Campaign Finance Board website.

Billionaire investor Dan Loeb has donated $600,000 to Fix the City and $100,000 to Defend NYC. Representatives for both Ackman and Loeb declined comment.

Still, with betting website Polymarket having the odds of Mamdani winning at 95%, opens new tab, Wall Street leaders are increasingly focusing on how to work with him. Indeed, Mamdani has been engaged directly with business leaders. He spoke with CEOs in meetings organized by the Partnership for New York City, whose members include Wall Street banks, private equity firms and law firms, according to Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the organization. In the summer, he spoke by phone with JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), opens new tab CEO Jamie Dimon, who offered help if Mamdani becomes mayor, one of the sources said. Another of the sources said Mamdani has been engaged with the real estate industry.

The call with Dimon was previously reported by Bloomberg.

Yasser Salem, CEO of OneNYC, an independent expenditure committee that backs Mamdani, told Reuters in an interview that he is assembling an advisory council of business leaders to work with Mamdani if he prevails.

“We are highly focused on building specific instances and demonstrations of trust” with the business community, Salem said.

Representatives for Mamdani and Cuomo did not respond to requests for comment.

While the mayor of New York does not have direct oversight on Wall Street, the mayor sets the tone on whether the global heart of capitalism is perceived as business friendly. Governor Kathy Hochul in September endorsed Mamdani in an opinion piece in The New York Times, opens new tab, while saying that she wants to keep New York the center of the global economy.

Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, noted that for tax hikes to be enacted Mamdani would have to work in conjunction with Albany, which must approve any city tax hikes.

“Whatever process will happen will be incredibly slow and may never actually affect” wealthy residents, said Greer.

RIPPLE EFFECTS THROUGH CITY

Real estate could see a ripple effect, with Mamdani pushing for a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, a measure undertaken by former Mayor Bill de Blasio but reversed by the current outgoing mayor, Eric Adams.

A potential rent freeze has spooked many landlords and lenders, said Paul Rahimian, CEO of Parkview Financial, a Los Angeles real estate lender which has a New York City office. Rahimian said the firm was taking a “hold and see” attitude to extending new loans to real estate developers and projects in New York until after the election.

“There are a lot of landlords that are now no longer making money but whose properties are costing them money every year,” he said.

Isaac Toledano, founder and CEO of Miami-based real estate investment firm BH Group, said he anticipated that 2026 would be busy with relocations from New York to Florida if Mamdani wins.

“There are a lot of people that do not agree with what he’s going to do,” said Toledano.

Reporting by Anirban Sen, Tatiana Bautzer, Lananh Nguyen, Suzanne McGee; additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Matt Tracy, Megan Davies; Writing by Megan Davies; Editing by Leslie Adler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Purchase Licensing Rights

Anirban Sen is the Editor in Charge of Market Structure at Reuters in New York where he leads the news agency’s coverage of stock exchanges, and market-making firms including Jane Street and Citadel Securities. Previously Anirban was M&A Editor at Reuters, leading a team of reporters who regularly broke market-moving news about the biggest deals in corporate America. Some of his scoops have included Mars’ $36 billion deal for snack maker Kellanova, design software firm Synopsys’ $35 billion deal for Ansys, and buyout firm GTCR’s $18.5 billion deal for merchant services provider Worldpay. In 2023, Anirban was part of a Reuters team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for the agency’s coverage of the collapse of FTX. After starting with Reuters in Bangalore in 2009, he left in 2013 to work as a technology deals reporter in several leading business news outlets in India, including The Economic Times and Mint. Anirban rejoined Reuters in 2019 as Editor in Charge, Finance, to lead a team of reporters in India, covering everything from investment banking to venture capital.

Lananh Nguyen is the U.S. finance editor at Reuters in New York, leading coverage of U.S. banks. She joined Reuters in 2022 after reporting on Wall Street at The New York Times. Lananh spent more than a decade at Bloomberg News in New York and London, where she wrote extensively about banking and financial markets, and she previously worked at Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal. Lananh holds a B.A. in political science from Tufts University and an M.Sc. in finance and economic policy from the University of London.

World

Ex-Mossad chief behind Iran nuclear warehouse raid says Iran’s atomic sites ‘obliterated,’ credits Trump

Published

6 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Ex-Mossad chief behind Iran nuclear warehouse raid says Iran’s atomic sites ‘obliterated,’ credits Trump

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: The former director of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, confirmed that the joint operation coordinated by the United States and Israel “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, halting its uranium enrichment, and warned that Israel “can come again” if Tehran resumes its nuclear program.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Shurat HaDin conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City this week, Cohen, who led Israel’s intelligence agency until 2021, described the operation as a turning point for Israel’s security and the region’s diplomatic future.

“For many years, everyone knew that Iran was our premier client — and my personal client,” he said, recalling his years as a Mossad operative. “That was the nation and the station in our workflow because of the threat Iran posed to Israel.”

TRUMP’S IRAN GAMBLE PAYS OFF AS WWIII DOOMSAYERS NOW PRAISE ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE

Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen and Shurat HaDin President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner attend an event on Oct. 28, 2025. (Ohad Kab)

“Since June 2025, Iran has been in a different position,” he said. “I can absolutely accept the president’s description that Iran’s nuclear sites were obliterated. I know for sure that Iran doesn’t enrich uranium these days, which is a great achievement. And more than that, Iran knows two things: first, that we can, and we did — with the U.S., in beautiful cooperation and coordination. And second, something even more important — we can come again.”

Cohen praised the Trump administration for its discreet coordination with Israel, the Mossad and the IDF that enabled the joint strike.

Map of US strikes on Iran. (Fox News)

“We destroyed their air-defense systems, their Revolutionary Guard sites, we chased their filthy terrorists in their own bedrooms and beds inside Tehran and other cities,” he said. “We destroyed the nuclear facilities that were threatening the State of Israel up to the level of an existential threat — and they know that we’ve done a beautiful job there.”

The day Israel stole Iran’s nuclear archive

In his newly released book, The Sword of Freedom, Cohen — who worked directly with three U.S. presidents — recalls how he warned President Barack Obama in 2015 that the Iran nuclear deal was dangerous.

“I told him it was risky,” Cohen writes. “He said, ‘Yossi, you are so wrong.’”

That conversation, he says, was a scene later repeated with President Donald Trump. “When Trump took office in 2016, I told him the deal was ‘so wrong’ in principle and practice. He replied, ‘You’re so right. It’s the worst deal ever.’”

INSIDE ISRAEL’S SECRET WAR IN IRAN: MOSSAD COMMANDOS, HIDDEN DRONES AND THE STRIKE THAT STUNNED TEHRAN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows part of Iran's nuclear archive to reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents material on Iranian nuclear weapons development during a press conference in Tel Aviv, April 2018. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

“We love it when the weather is extreme — when everyone else stays indoors.”

A key turning point, Cohen said, was the 2018 Mossad operation to steal Iran’s nuclear archive — a mission that ultimately influenced the U.S. decision to withdraw from the deal.

On Jan. 31, 2018, Cohen watched a live video feed showing a 25-member Mossad squad infiltrating Tehran on a cold, snowy night. “In the Mossad, we love it when the weather is extreme — when everyone else stays indoors,” he said with a smile.

That night, agents stole 55,000 pages of classified documents and 183 compact discs, which they smuggled back to Israel — “not by UPS,” Cohen joked. The materials revealed that while Iran was negotiating with the U.S. and world powers, it was secretly continuing its nuclear weapons work.

Hostage deal and the “day after” in Gaza

Cohen also spoke about the recent Trump administration brokered hostage deal.

“I can’t thank them enough, together with our allies in the Middle East,” he said. “All living hostages are free, and I hope to receive the remaining bodies shortly, as Hamas has committed.”

People wave Israeli and American flags while gathering in Hostages Square during a public rally.

People wave Israeli and American flags in Hostages Square during a rally supporting hostages and missing families following the Israel-Hamas peace deal. (Dana Reany/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

He expressed optimism that the end of the war in Gaza could mark the beginning of a new diplomatic era.

“From now on, we will see a better Middle East when this war is practically over,” he said. “Maybe the reconstruction of our relationships in the region will start to resume.”

“More peace treaties will come”

Cohen predicted that renewed normalization efforts would extend beyond the Abraham Accords, which he helped establish during his tenure as Mossad chief.

“Not only will the Saudis be in line,” he said. “I know there are some rumors about Indonesia, I cherish that, of course, and I’m expecting other countries to come and sign peace treaties with the State of Israel.”

He noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit Washington soon, calling it “an important visit not only for him, but for us in the region.”

TRUMP AND NETANYAHU CELEBRATE ‘HISTORIC VICTORY’ AGAINST IRAN, EYE FUTURE MIDDLE EAST PEACE

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is pictured sitting next to a senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)

“In the spirit of the American president right now and his beautiful team — Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio and others,” he added, “I’m expecting to see more peace treaties in the future.”

The Iranian regime and the road ahead

At the Shurat HaDin conference, Cohen also said he believes the overthrow of the Iranian regime is possible, though it may take years.

“The Iranian people suffer under a cruel regime — anyone who dares to protest is hanged or shot,” he said. “But I believe the time has come, and if the world supports it, it will happen.”

Shurat HaDin President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who hosted the event, warned of the ongoing political and legal threats facing Israel.

“The war is not yet over,” she said. “Political threats to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and the aggressiveness of the International Criminal Court, are driving an unprecedented rise in anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism. We must unite all forces working on this issue to fight back — on the battlefield, in the courts, and in the arena of global public opinion.”

Could Cohen one day replace Netanyahu as prime minister?

Yossi Cohen, former head of Mossad and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit together

A file picture taken at the Israeli foreign ministry on October 15, 2015, shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) sitting next to Yossi Cohen, who is currently the head of Israel’s National Security Council, and who was named as the 12th head of the Mossad intelligence agency by Netanyahu on Dec. 7, 2015. (GALI TIBBON/AFP via Getty Images)

In the Fox News Digital interview, Cohen also addressed speculation about his political ambitions, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2018 hint that he could one day be his successor.

“I’m not going into politics right now,” he said. “There’s a long, long way to go before I enter politics. I think the Israeli situation today is relatively stable, and nobody is going anywhere. Next year we’ll have elections for sure, and I don’t think I’ll join.”

However, he did not rule out future involvement in Israel’s foreign affairs.

“I’d love to do whatever it takes to support Israel’s relationships internationally,” he said. “We need better agreements, good ones, with as many countries as we can.”

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.

World

Al-Qaeda linked JNIM says one killed in its first Nigeria attack

Published

8 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Al-Qaeda linked JNIM says one killed in its first Nigeria attack

Soldier reportedly killed in first-known attack in Nigeria by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an armed group active in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Published On 31 Oct 2025

An al-Qaeda–linked armed group active in the Sahel has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a soldier in central Nigeria this week, its first known attack in the country.

In a video posted on its Telegram channel late on Thursday, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said it launched the attack in Nigeria’s Kwara State in the early hours of Wednesday, killing a soldier and seizing ammunition and cash.