Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected
Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as president of the European Commission for the next 5 years, while Roberta Metsola of Malta was re-elected as head the European Parliament.
Mihai Pelin, 19.07.2024, 14:00
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has been confirmed at the helm of the European Commission for the next 5 years, after she was voted, on Thursday’s first session of the new European Parliament since the June election. The support for von der Leyen was even greater compared to her first term, although right-wing and left-wing opposition forces have consolidated their presence in the community bloc. Her candidacy was dealt a major blow, analysts say, after an EU Court of Justice ruled, a day before the election, that Ursula von der Leyen had not been transparent enough with the public about pandemic contracts for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. However, everything turned out well at the end of intense negotiations that took place until the very morning of the voting day, according to some political sources. Ursula von der Leyen received 401 votes although she needed half plus one of the total of 720. In her speech in Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen pleaded for a strong Europe and promised to make industry and defense her priorities. The president of the European Commission reconfirmed the continuation of support for Ukraine in all forms and condemned the actions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that could have weakened the Union, after his recent visit to Moscow, in the context in which Hungary holds the EU Council presidency.
According to the EPP, Ursula von der Leyen’s party of origin, the pro-European, pro-Ukraine and pro-rule of law majority in the European Parliament reflects the reality of European society. Ursula von der Leyen’s agenda targets both right-wing and left-wing policies, managing to respond to most of the citizens’ requests. The Social Democrats, the second largest group in Parliament, supported von der Leyen after her program included social and agricultural policies. Renew, the third-largest group in the coalition, gave von the Leyen less votes than before. Romanian MEPs however voted to support Ursula von der Leyen’s second term in office. Although they are not part of the coalition, part of the Greens voted in favor of Ursula von der Leyen. Just in like with the Social-Democrats, the Greens were promised the Commission would focus on environmental policies and the plan for affordable housing. The vote and hearings on EU Commissioners are scheduled to follow. Governments of EU Members will each have to present two candidates (one woman and one man) for the positions of European commissioners, von der Leyen said. The final vote on the structure of the Commission could be slated for September.
The only incident of first day was the aggressive intervention of Romanian MEP Diana Şoşoacă, who was twice expelled from the hall for interrupting the session. The incident was criticized by all parliamentary groups, including the radical or extremist ones, and condemned by the Romanian MEPs because it mars the image of Romania at international level. Listed as a pro-Russian politician and leader of the populist SOS Romania party, the former Senator returned to her antics in the Romanian Parliament. In Brussels, however, failure to observe the rules is subject to immediate sanctions. (VP)
