EU to name new defence tsar - but is the job a dud?

Faced with Russia's war on Ukraine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has promised to name a designated defence commissioner as a key part of her new top team. The message is meant to be clear: Europe is serious about rearming. But while the position was originally billed as central to the EU's ambitions, there are now major doubts over how much power it will actually have.

That has meant heavyweight EU member states no longer seem so keen to snaffle up the role, set to be unveiled as part of the bloc's new line-up in the coming days. "The idea of creating a new position of an exclusive defence commissioner reflects the growing importance of defence for Europe today," Burkard Schmitt, defence and security director at industry association ASD, told AFP. "While the ambition behind this idea is commendable, the key question is: what would it actually mean in practice?" said Schmitt, who was speaking in a personal capacity rather than for his organisation.

For now, commission president von der Leyen has been tight-lipped about what exactly the job would entail. One thing is sure -- the new defence commissioner is not a sort of EU defence minister. The 27-nation bloc has no army of its own and is not planning to set up one any time soon.

Instead the main focus will be overseeing efforts to try to bolster the continent's defence sector. During von der Leyen's first five years at the helm, the defence industry was overseen by powerful French commissioner Thierry Breton as part of his wi.