EU Commissioner Teresa Ribera: “We still have the chance to successfully modernize the industry”

Teresa Ribera is one of the most powerful women in Europe. The Spanish socialist is supposed to defend Europe's climate policy and at the same time give the economy a boost. That, she says, is not a contradiction at all.

Is she the last bastion of the Green Deal in Europe? The Spanish socialist Teresa Ribera, 55, has been considered one of Europe's most prominent climate politicians for many years. In December she moved from the Spanish government to the EU Commission . As Vice President for a "clean, fair and competitive transition" and at the same time as Commissioner for Competition, she is the second most important person there behind Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and is responsible for a huge portfolio. To talk about her first major appearance, she invites us to the conference room on the twelfth floor of the Brussels Commission building.