5. Nadia Calviño
President of the European Investment Bank
Power doesn’t always wear a flag. As head of the EIB, Calviño controls one of Europe’s most potent — and least visible — levers: capital.
From climate transition to infrastructure and industrial financing, the EIB shapes what Europe can actually build. In 2025, that makes Calviño one of the quiet architects of Europe’s future economy.
6. Piotr Serafin
European Commissioner for Budget
Serafin represents a newer kind of European power: technical, administrative, and deeply consequential. He oversees how EU money is allocated at a time when budgets are political weapons — funding defense, reconstruction, and strategic autonomy.
He rarely makes headlines, but his influence is felt everywhere money decides policy.
7. Rachel Reeves
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer
Outside the EU but far from irrelevant, Reeves has become one of the most influential economic figures in Europe. London remains a financial hub, a Ukraine ally, and a diplomatic heavyweight — and Reeves’ economic strategy shapes how Britain re-engages with the continent post-Brexit.
Her presence on the list confirms a simple truth: Europe’s power ecosystem still includes the UK, whether Brussels likes it or not.
8. Stéphanie Riso
Director-General for Budget, European Commission
Riso embodies the idea that power lives in spreadsheets as much as speeches. As the Commission’s top budget official, she helps determine which policies survive reality and which remain political dreams.
In an era of fiscal constraint and permanent crisis management, that role is anything but secondary.
