Von der Leyen faces crunch vote as she pitches new commissioners in pledge to MEPs
The European Parliament’s newly-elected 720 lawmakers converged Strasbourg for their opening plenary, where they will vote to re-elect incumbent Ursula von der Leyen as the next president of the European Commission for a second term
The European Parliament’s newly-elected 720 lawmakers converged Strasbourg for their opening plenary, where they will vote to re-elect incumbent Ursula von der Leyen as the next president of the European Commission for a second term.
Voting is currently underway.
With two new far-right groups – the 25-strong Europe of Sovereign Nations created by German far-right Alternatif fur Deutschland (AFD), and the 84 MEPs of Patriots for Europe, led by France’s National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella – who, alongside the European Conservatives and Reformists, now constitute more than a quarter of the chamber.
The European People's Party (EPP), with 188 seats, is behind von der Leyen, its lead candidate during the campaign. The Socialists and Democrats (136 seats), Renew Europe (77 seats) and the Greens (53) have also formally endorsed her. Altogether, this will give von der Leyen 453 votes, a very large majority in the fractured hemicycle.
However, internal rebellions are expected, which means the 453 tally will surely decrease.
Far-right candidates bidding to become vice-president were voted down on Tuesday as part of centrist parties’ coordinated efforts to build a firewall against the radical right-wing – the so-called cordon sanitaire.
But the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did manage to secure two vice-presidents.
MEPs also denied Orbán the chance to address the assembly, although a planned exchange of views with Council President Charles Michel – the pretext for keeping Orbán out – has now also apparently been scrapped.
Von Der Leyen speech to MEPs
In her speech, Von der Leyen called out “demagogues and extremists” and the “extreme polarisation” of society as among the internal and external threats the EU faces.
Her policy pledges included commitments on reducing administrative burdens, and a Clean Industrial Deal – an apparent rebrand of her existing, though controversial, Green Deal of climate change measures. “We want ensure that the era of dependency from Russian fossil fuels is over once and for all,” she said.
She also said there would be a new European competitiveness fund for common, cross-border European projects.
Von der Leyen excoriated Viktor Orbán’s so-called “peace mission” which recently took him to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine. “This so-called peace mission,” von der Leyen said, “was nothing but an appeasement mission! This was a plain appeasement mission!”
The statement prompted loud applause from MEPs, who had previously condemned Orbán’s rebellious diplomacy. “Only two days later Putin’s jets aimed their missiles at a children’s hospital and maternity ward in Kiev,” von der Leyen went on. “That strike was not a mistake. It was a message. A chilling message to all of us.
“Our answer has to be just as clear: no one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine, a just and lasting peace, for a free and independent country,” she added. “And Europe will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, this is our message.”
Von der Leyen had been fiercely criticised in the past for what was seen as a strong pro-Israeli stance, given her reluctance to call for restraint in the Gaza offensive, some lawmakers from the centrist Renew Europe group indicating they will vote aganst her given her stance on the conflict engulfing the Gaza Strip.
“I want to be very clear - the bloodshed in Gaza must stop now,” von der Leyen said, receiving applause from the chamber. “Too many children, women and civilians have lost their lives as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal terror… The people of Gaza cannot bear any more and humanity cannot bear any more,” she added.
Von der Leyen said she would appoint a commissioner “with direct responsibility for the topic of housing” – a key demand of MEPs on the left, as prices become increasingly unaffordable.
MEP reactions
Responses from MEPs started with centre-right EPP leader Manfred Weber, who gave his strong backing to von der Leyen. “If you want to defend democracy, vote today for Ursula von der Leyen,” says Weber, citing her support for Ukraine, support for small business, and the ideal of gender equality.
Socialists and Democrats leader Iratxe García told the chamber: “We will be a firm bulwark to the extreme right across the European Union…. Our support for your presidency will be conditional on the need to offer a project of Europe that ends inequality and guarantees equality of opportunities,” she added.
“You know, you should know, which is the right side of history. Stand up to the reactionary forces that defend an unsustainable environmental agenda, that undermine women and the LGBTI community, that dehumanise migrants and refugees.”
The Socialist leader also called for a peace conference that would lead to the recognition of the Palestinian state.
Speaking third was Jordan Bardella, of France’s National Rally, which formed the far-right Patriots for Europe group – they have opposed her bid.
Bardella said he was opposed to “punitive ecology” and mass migration, saying that voting for Von der Leyen would be to ignore EU election results that “strengthened patriotic forces” committed to tradition and identity.
The ECR group, which includes Italian PM Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’ Italia, said it was open to cooperation with von der Leyen. “I want to disappoint those who expect an indication of voting from the ECR,” said the conservative group leader Nicola Procaccini. He said the grouping was made of parties that “do not give up their national prerogatives” and, as a consequence, delegations “will vote on the basis of their national interest.”
“We have nothing personal against you, but something is going wrong here,” he said referring to the fact von der Leyen might be re-appointed thanks to votes from EU election ‘losers’ such as the Greens.
However he gave a clear opening for cooperation with von der Leyen, who was, according to Procaccini, “forced to chase the demands of the left, hostage to a left-wing majority” in her previous mandate.
“Today, thanks to the election result, our citizens have embraced the common-sense ideas of the centre-right in the majority. I think you should take this into account,” he concluded.
Valérie Hayer, of Emmanuel Macron’s centrist liberal Renew coalition, said that her group will be a “demanding but reliable” partner for von der Leyen. She urged no U-Turns on EU environmental policy. “Don’t reverse the Green Deal,” she said.
The Left’s Manon Aubry gave a fiery speech in which she berated von der Leyen for focusing on competitiveness rather than poverty or unemployment.
“Come out of your ivory tower and confront reality,” said Aubry, who hails from the France Unbowed party, contrasting von der Leyen’s salary of €30,000 per month with the millions of Europeans forced to skip meals.
Aubry welcomed the announcement of a housing commissioner, but says von der Leyen’s migration policy has created a “Europe of barbed wire”.
Greens co-president Terry Reintke warned that “we cannot backtrack on the Green Deal” with Europe battered in turn by drought and floods, destroying livelihoods.
The German lawmaker said Europe needed a new “Climate Adaptation Law” to increase resilience and protect critical water supplies. Reintke also called for Common Agricultural Policy reform, saying thousands of farmers cannot make a decent living and they “deserve better”.
She called to reform EU foreign, defence and security policy which was “too fragmented”, a barb aimed at Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, whom she described as “Putin’s servant right now in the Council presidency”.
The requirement for unanimity in EU council votes must be ended, she added. “Let’s take away the veto,” she said.
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