Cristina Lobillo Borrero has secured a position at the centre of Ursula von der Leyen's inner circle as the new senior adviser for the clean transition, advising on the EU's energy policy as the bloc scrambles to lower costs for households and industry, strengthen its competitiveness and reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The appointment places a Spanish official with centre-right political origins in a key role shaping Europe's energy future. Lobillo has no formal ties with Spain's PP, but her political origins are in working with PP heavyweight Miguel Arias Cañete, first in José María Aznar's government and later as his chief of staff when he became EU energy and climate commissioner.
A Counterweight in the Commission
A lawmaker from the European People's Party said von der Leyen brought in Lobillo as a "counterweight" to Teresa Ribera and that the move has also set up a direct line to Spain's centre-right at the heart of the Commission. Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said the president's cabinet is made up of a selection of the most experienced officials in their respective fields and that Lobillo was picked as "one of the most respected and senior energy officials" in the Commission.
Three Commission officials said Lobillo proved particularly valuable to von der Leyen during the energy crisis and the scramble to ditch Russian gas, when she led a special task force to decouple from Russian fossil fuels. Two officials said she became especially close to von der Leyen's chief of staff Bjoern Seibert during that period, effectively becoming the key official giving them the technical background on energy.
One official said, "She is there to implement the energetic priorities of the president," and added that "with how vertical the Commission is, being in the direct line of command of von der Leyen, that makes her the most influential Spanish official in Brussels."
Future Ministerial Material
People who have worked with her described her as professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Ribera said, "We have different profiles," and added that Lobillo has "a long and solid technical career in the European Commission. I trust her," saying the two have always had a very good relationship. A second MEP said Lobillo "is not there to undermine Ribera or anything of the sort; she acts following Ursula's lead."
Her connections mean the EU's centre-right is eyeing her as a potential key power player if the PP takes charge in Madrid next year, with the EPP lawmaker saying she is potential ministerial material back home. The first MEP said, "If she has to defend a Spanish position, people know her and trust her at the Commission, the same in Council and Parliament."
Norway Pushes for Earlier EU Influence
Norway wants to start lobbying Brussels earlier to better protect its own interests, with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide saying, "We are making changes that make it possible to start promoting Norwegian positions and interests earlier – that is where the real room for action lies," and Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth saying, "We will now be earlier and more active in the development of European policy, particularly in the area of industrial policy."
Anne Line Kaxrud, deputy head of international affairs at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, said the business community had long called for concrete measures to ensure a more proactive administration of the EEA agreement. Oda Helen Sletnes, a senior adviser at the consultancy Kreab and a former Norwegian ambassador, said Norway's ability to influence EU policy remains limited because its many agreements with the EU don't permit participation in the EU's decision-making bodies and that only EU membership can change that.
U.S. Pressure on Drug Pricing
The U.S. is investigating Germany's system for pricing new medicines, with Donald Trump threatening additional tariffs unless European prices go up. Germany is the first EU country to come under specific U.S. pressure to raise drug prices. Berlin rejects claims that its drug pricing system is an unfair trade practice.
Donald Trump used his UNGA speech to cast himself as a peacemaker, while also saying he was willing to "annihilate" Iran and rejecting the idea of a global body to oversee artificial intelligence, which he called "super intelligence." Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, after skipping a UNGA reception with Donald Trump, called Trump's address to the assembly "ideological … not backed and supported by facts and data," according to a preview clip posted to social media overnight.
Canadian PM Mark Carney committed $100 million in assistance for Palestine before meeting U.K. PM Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a two-state solution. EU capitals struck a deal to remove billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc's Russia sanctions list after a high-stakes diplomatic play by France.
Romania's potential next prime minister, European People's Party MEP Siegfried Mureșan, warned that the country's political deadlock risks handing power to the far right. France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad warned about the consequences of slashing the EU's Global Europe budget, saying, "Look at the consequences of the cuts of USAID. I think it's been detrimental, including, by the way, to U.S. interests." Renew lawmaker Barry Andrews said, "Drastic cuts would be a betrayal of everything the EU stands for in the world and only mimic the short-sighted ideology behind President Trump's USAID cuts, which have already had a devastating impact."
Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Vsevolod Chentsov, announced that Kyiv is open to a grain truce with Russia. Canada's EU envoy Jonathan Wilkinson said Ottawa and Brussels will announce a comprehensive set of partnerships within the coming year, though the shape of the future relationship is still up for discussion. Finnish EPP lawmaker Mika Aaltola said his party won't rule out voting with the far right to deliver its policy agenda and that the EU is weighing closer economic cooperation with the U.K.
Why This Matters:
Lobillo's appointment reflects the growing influence of national political networks within the Commission's technical machinery. As Europe faces mounting pressure to reduce energy costs while maintaining its climate ambitions, the officials who shape these trade-offs will determine whether European industry remains competitive or gets priced out of global markets. Her direct line to von der Leyen gives Spain's centre-right a voice in decisions that affect every household and factory across the continent. Norway's push for earlier influence shows how non-member states recognise that EU policy is increasingly set before formal negotiations begin. The U.S. pressure on German drug pricing reveals how Europe's regulatory choices are becoming flashpoints in transatlantic trade relations, with member states caught between domestic health priorities and external economic demands.