Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin takes a lot of criticism for many of his in-game coaching decisions. The top complaints are generally about his usage of timeouts and decisions surrounding throwing the challenge flag. In the recent Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the complaints included a decision to go for it on fourth down, using Justin Fields instead of Russell Wilson on a critical third down pass, and some unusual use of various personnel. In his most recent Tuesday press conference , Tomlin was asked about many of those decisions, and he blamed the short-yardage struggles on himself and his coaching staff. The Steelers' inability to move the ball in short-yardage situations and the red zone has been among their biggest struggles this season. Pittsburgh is currently 8-3 and sits atop the AFC North, but their games are getting increasingly more challenging as the season progresses, making this shortcoming even more problematic. They failed to convert on two of the short-yardage fourth downs they attempted in the snowy loss in Week 12. Tomlin said that the staff has been slow adjusting to replay assist. They make quick decisions and spot of the ball would change and they haven't adjusted. Those failures contributed to the Steelers' loss against the Browns. It was especially frustrating considering the Steelers had mounted a comeback but lost the lead late in the fourth quarter. Since they played the Browns on Thursday Night Football , the Steelers have a mini-bye week currently because they do not play the Cincinnati Bengals until Sunday. Tomlin was asked during his press conference what lessons he learned during that mini-bye about their short-yardage struggles. "We need to get better is a component of it," acknowledged Tomlin. "But there was some game circumstances. We, as a coaching staff, need to adapt and adjust to replay assist. Sometimes, we make decisions at speed, and a spot of the ball might be different, or a circumstance might be different based on replay assist, and I think that's happened two or three times in the last two or three weeks. That's been a component of performance for us. Some of the things got nothing to do specifically with the schematics that we call or the utilization of people, it's just those moments and administratively and logistically how things go. We looked at all components of it, but obviously, we need to be better than we've been partially of late." Tomlin said the coaches do not know how much time they will get during replay assist; it varies depending on how long the officials take to make decisions. Tomlin feels that the coaching staff is working on learning to make better decisions and adjustments on the fly. The Steelers did convert their third fourth-down attempt near the middle of the second half. Perhaps they were able to get a better look at the replay assist, thus making a better decision about what to call. It is easy to Monday morning quarterback play calls, but the game moves fast, and often, the coaches are left with only a short amount of time to make a decision. Steelers' Arthur Smith Also Took Some Heat Many factors likely went into the Steelers' loss in Cleveland: the weather, the short week, and being physically exhausted from beating the Baltimore Ravens. There was no reason they should have lost. While much blame is being put on Tomlin, Arthur Smith also gets his fair share, and rightfully so. Smith was responsible for calling plays in those third—and fourth-down situations, and some of the choices were confusing at best. There are reports that some people within the organization are not too happy about the plays. During that game, the Steelers only converted seven of 16 third-down attempts and were one of three on fourth down. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.Analysis: After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
Dejounte Murray is rejoining the Pelicans vs. Toronto and drawing inspiration from his mother
A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children's toys and hair accessories. In a blog post, Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada, explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. (Dreamstime/TNS) The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were "an order of magnitude lower" than the EPA's thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it's actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren't enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn't be in these products in the first place. "The math error does not impact the study's findings, conclusions or recommendations," said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they're heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you're wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. Generally, how do I know a product is harmful? It's nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That's because these products that include recycled e-waste don't disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it's also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study "had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them," she said. How can I find out if black plastic food trays are made with recycled contaminated plastic? Anytime you're looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you're going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. When did recycled e-waste begin contaminating black plastic products? There isn't a definitive timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. What are safer alternatives? The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. The 20th century brought airplanes, radio, television, the internet, and plastic. Lots of plastic. That plastic is now showing up on shorelines, forming islands in oceans, and generating mountains of translucent trash on land. Around 700 species of animals in the sea have been found to interact with plastic daily. Companies across every industry face pressure to reduce the amount of plastic they produce. Seventy-two percent of the world's largest have made voluntary commitments to reduce their plastic waste, according to a Duke University analysis. One industry, in particular, has greatly benefited from advancements in single-use plastic technology: the medical industry. Only in recent years have businesses and academics in the field begun to talk about minimizing their impact on our environment like beverage manufacturers and other consumer goods-producing businesses. Medical Technology Schools analyzed academic studies published in the National Library of Medicine , the American Medical Association , and news reports to shed light on the medical community's use of plastics through history, their environmental problems, and proposed solutions to reduce their impact. And the impact can be significant. A single hospital patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste a day —as much as a quarter of it is plastic. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the problem. The pandemic pushed hospital capacity to the brink and led to a massive increase in personal protective equipment and medical supply usage. Medical-grade masks and other protective equipment like face shields, made mostly of nonrenewable plastics, were in high demand. In 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that the international need for PPE manufacturing would boost 40% to address the public health crisis. Hospitals needed an estimated 89 million masks, 76 million gloves, and 1.6 million goggles every month of the pandemic. To date, nearly 677 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, each requiring their own plastic syringe, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimated that the U.S. would produce a year's worth of medical waste in just two months due to the pandemic. The World Economic Forum warned that the COVID-19 crisis threatened to " stall and even reverse progress " to reduce large plastic waste. It's a challenge researchers acknowledge today as they search for solutions. Plastics introduced an era of ultraconvenience to the world. It makes our clothes. It's made bike helmets and airbags possible. And it's a cheap material to produce, meaning it's cheap for consumers too. Almost as importantly, it's durable and incredibly easy to make into complex shapes—a trait that helped plastics invented in the mid-20th century quickly replace more expensive metal and wooden goods. That adoption extended to the medical field, where the single-use nature of plastics represented a move toward more hygienic tools for physicians and hospitals. But it wasn't plastic's sanitary qualities that the industry first latched onto. Like so many other technical advancements, convenience and cost were the initial driving factors. That they were more conducive to creating a sterile environment for patients was a benefit that health care began to tout closer to the end of the 20th century. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, replaced glass bottles previously used to hold IV solution and replaced rubber tubing used throughout hospital settings. Plastic has also become the go-to material for making syringes and catheters. Plastic products are generally made from chemicals derived from the oil and natural gas refining process. Chemists use those byproducts to create synthetic materials with malleable and durable chemical structures. The low cost of these materials has helped medical device-makers support better health outcomes for communities across the U.S. since the 1900s. No longer was health care priced at rates only the elite could afford—it was accessible to a much larger swath of the public. In the last decade, the U.S., in particular, has emerged as a massive market for medical plastics. The country generally accounts for nearly half of the global market for medical devices. Plastic's durability is not only a benefit but a detriment to the environment, as the material can take many years to deteriorate when it enters landfills or trashes oceans. Estimates vary widely, but scientists ballpark that depending on the kind of plastic and the environment in which it decomposes, it could take dozens to thousands of years to break down entirely. COVID-19, which remains a burden for health care systems, isn't the only force raising the stakes for a health care industry pressured to reduce reliance on plastics or find ways to reuse them. Global annual production of plastic has doubled in the last two decades , according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. looks toward the future, its aging population is another factor that could exacerbate the rate at which medical plastics end up in landfills. People require more medical care as they age, and aging baby boomers are expected to place increased demand on the medical device industry. At the same time, governments are under pressure to lower health care costs, which have become unaffordable even for those insured . As recently as 2021, researchers lamented a lack of data on efforts to recycle medical plastics. Around 350 hospitals participate in Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards . Practice Greenhealth is an organization working to help hospitals increase their sustainability. It's one of the few sources of hospital sustainability data, and its roster of participating hospitals represents a small fraction of the more than 6,000 hospitals operating in the U.S. To meet the need to reduce plastic waste generation, some hospitals are moving away from using plastic in certain applications. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center replaced health care workers' disposable plastic isolation gowns with reusable cloth gowns at its hospitals in the last decade, saving money and preventing literal tons of medical waste. It also implemented a process for sterilizing and incinerating the boxes that hold used needles, allowing them to be reassembled and reused in a health care setting. Recycling plastic medical waste is complicated by the potential for contamination and the need to separate contaminated and noncontaminated waste; once separated, they can be broken down with heat or treated with chemicals and reprocessed. However, using chemical methods to break down and dispose of plastics has drawbacks. Over 200 nongovernmental organizations signed a letter in 2023 urging the Biden administration to end federal support for methods like these, arguing they generate toxic pollutants. The Vinyl Council of Australia is working with hospitals to recover used materials made of PVC . The materials are broken down into tiny pieces, washed and heated at high temperatures, and remade into things used outside medical settings. In the U.S. and Europe, there's the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, a coalition of companies working in the health care device space that includes DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. In 2021, the HPRC, advised by professionals at Kaiser Permanente and other health systems, rolled out a medical waste recycling pilot project with hopes of scaling it across more hospitals. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. 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In his book, Founding Mothers of the Indian Republic: Gender Politics of the Framing of the Constitution, Achyut Chetan mentions an interesting anecdote; of a cultural theorist seemingly influenced by the skewed post-structuralist notion of the text telling him that the Constitution is all we have and that there is nothing outside its text. How do you imagine the Constitution beyond its text? What value does a constitution hold beyond its text? As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution of India, these questions prompt us to reflect on its broader significance. Testament to an aspirational citizenship The text of the Constitution, undoubtedly, holds greater significance. It gives institutions a tool to interpret and implement policy decisions. But the Constitution is not merely a legal document. It represents a living framework that transcends its textual boundaries. It holds the aspirations, struggles, and collective dreams of a diverse nation. Therefore, while the Constitution serves as the foundation of our administrative framework, it is, equally, a testament to aspirational citizenship. But where do we locate the place of citizens while assessing the Constitution? Citizenship is often understood as a concept derived from statutes or the text of the Constitution. However, in the journey of India’s constitutional history, the people themselves have played a pivotal role in shaping and redefining the notion of citizenship beyond what is written in the document. Through various movements, they have actively invoked constitutional principles to challenge inequalities and claim rights and spaces that were historically monopolised by caste and class elites. For instance, the Dalit movement used the Constitution as a powerful tool to assert its equality and dignity. The Constitution became a site of emancipation and to defy the odd social norms. Article 17 of the Constitution, which abolishes untouchability, became a rallying point for the marginalised communities to fight against caste-based discrimination. Similarly, movements for land reforms, right to education, right to information and even environmental rights movements have consistently used constitutional provisions to demand inclusivity and justice, thereby expanding the scope of citizenship from a legal status to a lived reality of equality and empowerment. In his book, A People’s Constitution, Professor Rohit De documents compelling stories of individuals who harnessed the Constitution not only to assert their rights but also to place ordinary citizens at the heart of the constitutional discourse. This imaginative engagement by ordinary citizens in applying the Constitution to their daily lives persists. Indeed, it has grown even more robust and strategic, empowering them to claim their rightful place in the republic. Dialogue between the Constitution, citizens The story of the Constitution is the story of its people. Social activist Aruna Roy, in her recent memoir, The Personal is Political, argues that if democracy is by and for the people, the ‘ people’ are the mainstream — the power elite and its periphery defined by money and power. Therefore, it is necessary to dismantle this mainstream of ‘power’ and bring those who are at the margin to the centre of our democratic journey. Thus, the purpose of the Constitution would be served. The enactment of the Constitution marked a significant turning point for marginalised groups, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. While their direct representation in the Constituent Assembly was minimal, their concerns were thoughtfully discussed and debated, ensuring that the document aimed to be inclusive and accommodative. However, despite these progressive efforts, the Constitution is not without flaws. There have been instances where it has inadvertently become a tool of exclusion. A collective responsibility As we commemorate 75 years of its adoption, it is imperative to ensure that the Constitution extends its promise beyond public institutions and into private spheres. This involves empowering citizens to challenge both the authority of a mighty state and the power of private citizens when they act unjustly. The responsibility lies with all of us to not only uphold the Constitution but also to actualise its principles in ways that foster true equality, justice, and dignity for every individual, irrespective of their status or identity. Rajesh Ranjan is a lawyer-researcher who writes on public law, rights, and public engagement of Published - November 28, 2024 04:00 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit constitution / India / history / laws / society and human capital / dalits / education / right to education / Caste / land resources / gender / disabled / minority group / justice and rights
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NoneBefore we start, I have to admit to a personal bias that may color this story: I’ve been a fan of Guy Pearce since first seeing him in 1997’s L.A. Confidential . So knowing that he’s been popping up on the 2024 movie schedule in movies like The Convert and The Brutalist has pleased my cinephile heart to no end. However, after learning the story of how a random Warner Bros. executive allegedly blocked Pearce from ever working again with Christopher Nolan , I have to say my blood is a bit boiled. What’s more, I can double down on that anger, as the Australian actor’s recent interview with Vanity Fair also revealed that he came really close to playing a role in Batman Begins . “But Mike,” you’re probably about to ask your screen, “surely a studio executive wouldn’t have it out for the man who starred in Memento ?” Allow Guy Pearce himself to prove you wrong, courtesy of the following quote: ...there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, “I don’t get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to employ Guy Pearce.” As you’d expect, and as the Prometheus actor admitted, this supposed “No Guy Pearce” sign on the WB gates meant that he was theoretically barred from quite a few movies. Theoretically, if true, this could explain how Warner Bros. passed on an L.A. Confidential sequel . As for reuniting Pearce with Christopher Nolan, the pair might have missed out on making anything Batman Begins to Tenet . I don't know that for sure, as this unnamed exec may have left at some earlier point during that metaphorical exclusion period. Are you ready for the knife in this story to be twisted in a very special way? Guy Pearce’s proposed role in the 2005 Batman reboot was revealed in this same interview, and as the Iron Man 3 thespian admitted, that decision was made at a pretty late stage of the game: Yes. They flew me to London, to discuss the Liam Neeson role for Batman, and I think it was decided on my flight that I wasn’t going to be in the movie. So I get there and Chris is like “hey, you want to see the Batmobile and get dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit furious to hear this, especially since Pearce was on an airplane to take a meeting for the role! While Liam Neeson ’s Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul was certainly a welcomed casting in Batman Begins , it still doesn’t change the fact that the exclusion of Guy Pearce from consideration was, to put it mildly, quite unfair. Though I suppose it all worked out in the end if you really think about it. If Mr. Pearce had starred in that Christopher Nolan comic book hit, he may not have played Aldrich Killian in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3. Which might have also seen the actor unavailable to star in his entry on the Alien movie timeline, Prometheus , as he’d have had to reappear in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises . CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News If there’s any sort of silver lining to this horrible story, it’s the fact that it’s perhaps one of the best things to come out of Christopher Nolan’s 2021 breakup with Warner Bros . Guy Pearce acknowledged that himself in this interview, closing the entire affair with the sentiment that maybe it’s time for him and his Memento director to reunite. As luck would have it, Christopher Nolan’s next movie is gearing up to shoot early next year - and considering how large his casts can get, I’m sure there’s room to get the band back together. For now though, you can catch Guy Pearce and Christopher Nolan's sole film together, Memento , for free on Pluto TV and Tubi.
NEW YORK , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Report with market evolution powered by AI - The global stock music market size is estimated to grow by USD 650.4 million from 2024 to 2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.09% during the forecast period. The report provides a comprehensive forecast of key segments below- Segmentation Overview 1.1 Royalty-free 1.2 Rights managed 2.1 Television 2.2 Film 2.3 Radio 2.4 Advertising 2.5 Others 3.1 North America 3.2 Europe 3.3 APAC 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa Get a glance at the market contribution of rest of the segments - Download a FREE Sample Report in minutes! 1.1 Fastest growing segment: Royalty-free (RF) music refers to the permission to use copyrighted materials without paying recurring royalties or license fees. RF music allows for one-time payment, regardless of usage frequency, number of copies sold, or timeframe. Traditionally, RF music was popular for TV productions due to its ease of use and elimination of complex licensing processes. With the rise of digital distribution, RF music adoption, benefiting both composers and buyers. Numerous websites offer a vast selection of RF music across various genres, making it a convenient choice for producers. RF music's affordability fuels the growth of the global stock music market, as it offers legal access to a wide range of musical content without the need for copyright infringement. Analyst Review The Stock Music Market is a dynamic and evolving industry that caters to the diverse audio needs of various sectors, from Millennials to corporations. Technology and social media have revolutionized the way we consume and create music, making music libraries an essential resource for content creators in the entertainment business. From TV and films to advertisements, video games, and corporate production, the demand for authentic and high-quality music is at an all-time high. The gig economy has given rise to a new generation of multimedia artists, providing them with an opportunity to monetize their creations through stock music platforms. Genres and styles vary widely, catering to the unique needs of different industries and audiences. The user base of streaming services and digital advertising continues to grow, making online marketing and podcasting increasingly important channels for reaching consumers. The Stock Music Market is a thriving business that is here to stay. Market Overview The Stock Music Market is a dynamic and evolving industry that caters to the growing demand for authentic and high-quality music in various sectors. With millennials leading the charge, technology and social media have revolutionized the way music is consumed and shared. Music libraries have become essential resources for content creators in TV, films, advertisements, video games, corporate production, and the entertainment business. Stock music producers offer licenses, attribution, and exploitable rights to market participants, enabling a diverse range of businesses to access original music for their brand assets. Affluent consumers, cultural change agents, touring musicians, and local musicians all contribute to this vibrant ecosystem. Brands like Coca-Cola and Budweiser have embraced music as a powerful branding tool, creating iconic brand anthems and sponsoring music festivals. The digital element has transformed the industry, with streaming services, podcasting, and online marketing leading the charge. Editing tools and platforms have made it easier for professionals to integrate music into their multimedia content, from magazines and newspapers to instore activations and digital efforts. The market continues to grow, fueled by media spending and the unified approach to platform integration. To understand more about this market- Download a FREE Sample Report in minutes! 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Venodr Landscape 11 Vendor Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE TechnavioThis Superstar AI Stock Is Down 28% From Its High. Is It Time to Buy?Analysis: After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
The path looks clear for the new top brass to take control of the EU executive branch in December. The deal that paved the way shows the strength of the center-right EPP, which is poised to dominate the EU Parliament. Almost six months after European elections that bolstered the political right, the team of top officials that will lead the next European Commission until 2029 looks on track to take office on December 1. The three major centrist political groups in the European Parliament announced a deal to approve the entire 27-strong lineup on Wednesday night after weeks of grappling, pledging in a joint statement to "work together with a constructive approach." With burning questions about the climate and migration on the table, it is the center-right European People's Party (EPP) group that seems to have most strengthened its hand. "I promised people a [...] Europe without bureaucracy and I will deliver. And if I do not deliver, then we will wake up in 2029 in an extremely populistic Europe," EPP head Manfred Weber said in comments reported by the Financial Times. What are Ursula von der Leyen's plans for her second term? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Weber's center-right EPP, the largest bloc in the EU legislature, struck a deal with the second-largest group — the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) — plus the smaller pro-business, Renew group to put new commissioners in place. Led by President Ursula von der Leyen , herself a German EPP politician who was approved for a second term at the helm of the EU executive branch in July, the European Commission's team of 27 officials will guide the EU's climate, trade and migration policy. Italy's Fitto, Spain's Ribera clear final hurdles Under the EU's complicated division of powers, each member state gets to nominate a candidate to send to the powerful commission, but it's up to von der Leyen as president to assign portfolios, at which point the European Parliament approves the candidate. Before giving that blessing, however, EU parliamentarians spent the past several weeks grilling the 26 remaining candidates. In the end, the two that faced the biggest resistance were Teresa Ribera, a Spanish Socialist from the EU's S&D group, and Raffaele Fitto, an Italian from the far-right European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) group. Ribera, Spain's outgoing environment minister, faced resistance from the Spanish contingent of the EPP over her and the government's handling of recent disastrous floods in Valencia . Fitto's nomination as an executive vice president of the European Commission was considered unacceptable for many on the left, and even controversial within the S&D group. Many bristled at the thought of having a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party , with its neofascist roots, in such a position. Socialists accused of 'breaking promises' In the end, both nominees got a thumbs-up from EPP and S&D leaders, putting them in a good position ahead of a broader vote in the European Parliament next week. Ribera's compatriot and S&D group leader Iratxe Garcia defended the deal. "This agreement unblocks a situation that was putting the European Union's stability at risk," she said in a statement on Wednesday. Sidelined from the deal altogether were the Greens, who fared poorly in the June polls while the far-right Patriots for Europe and right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists made gains. It's unclear whether the Greens will sign off on the appointments when they come up for a vote. "The Social Democrats are breaking a core campaign promise — they are siding with the far right to support commissioner candidates from Hungary and Italy," Daniel Freund, a Green lawmaker from Germany, told DW. In Budapest, far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban of the Patriots for Europe group renominated incumbent European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, who had his health portfolio trimmed slightly to remove reproductive rights issues. A contentious figure, Varhelyi, too, made it over the line. A more right-wing EU Commission? While the Greens may accuse the Socialists of enabling the far right, according to Eric Maurice of the European Policy Centre, an independent think tank, this new college of European commissioners (as the entire 27-person team is known) isn't significantly more right-wing than its predecessor — at least not in terms of the balance of commissioners. Trump's return could be defense jolt to EU To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There will, however, be policy shifts, said Maurice — "on climate and agriculture , so everything related to green policies." Over the past year, right-wing parties have become more powerful in many European capitals, said the analyst, so "it's not a surprise that this is reflected in the composition of the Commission." "There is a backlash from industry, there is a backlash in public opinion , which is reflected in the bad results of the Greens in different countries and by the shifting of the position of some parties, mainly the center-right parties, or even some liberal parties," Maurice told DW. Indeed, the EPP has emerged as kingmaker in a more politically fragmented parliament, he argued, and will be able to team up with forces to its political left and right. Challenges on the horizon In 2019, during the first 100 days of her first term in office, von der Leyen unveiled major environmental policy aims. This time around, she is set to lay out a new concept for agriculture policy and present new ideas for defense in an increasingly precarious geopolitical environment. She must also quickly set out a new long-term budget for the EU, Maurice said. But whoever ends up in controlling key portfolios in the civil service — with its staff of 32,000 — the pending return of Donald Trump as US president will likely dominate the EU policy agenda. His promise to rapidly end the war in Ukraine may force the EU to answer difficult questions in terms of its support for Kyiv, and his threat to slap tariffs on the EU will also keep the bloc busy. Edited by: Jon Shelton
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