Parliament elects #UrsulaVonDerLeyen as first female Commission President

With 383 votes in favour, the European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen President of the next European Commission in a secret ballot on 16 July.

She is set to take office on 1 November 2019 for a five-year term. There were 733 votes cast, one of which was not valid. 383 members voted in favour, 327 against, and 22 abstained.

Parliament currently comprises 747 MEPs as per the official notifications received by member state authorities, so the threshold needed to be elected was 374 votes, i.e. more than 50% of its component members. President Sassoli formally announced the requisite number before the results were revealed in plenary. The vote was held by secret paper ballot.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said: "On behalf of Parliament, I congratulate you on your election as President of the European Commission.

"Now begins a very important phase for the European institutions; we will have to prepare for the hearings of the Commissioners-designate, which, as you know, will be very thorough on the part of the members of this Parliament.

"We expect that the issues you spoke about today in front of the plenary chamber will also be examined in depth and followed up by the members of your college during the hearings in the competent Parliament committees.

"The next few years will be very important for the future of the European Union and we can only tackle them successfully if there is close and full cooperation between the institutions."

European People’s Party President Joseph Daul welcomed the result and made the following statement: “I could not be more proud of the first female European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her clear and bold vision for the future of Europe. Her commitment to fairness, equality and security inspires us all to follow her leadership and build this shared future together. I have known Ursula for many years and her European commitment, intelligence, empathy and her determination to deliver never ceased to amaze me. I look forward to working together to defend our shared vision and continue placing Europe at the service of our people. I am confident that the von der Leyen Commission will meet the aspirations of the European citizens, will answer their concerns and deliver a strong Europe that will protect us all.”

However, speaking after the vote result, acting GUE/NGL President Martin Schirdewan was less welcoming. He said: “Many saw von der Leyen’s background as Germany’s Defence Minister as a step towards an EU army and a tougher Fortress Europe. Her speech did not disappoint, paying lip service to the discourse of EU values and saving lives at sea but promising a stronger FRONTEX and praising the divisive European Defence Union. The Left will continue to present progressive proposals that work for ordinary people and deliver on social justice. We want a Europe that stands for workers’ rights, feminism, environment, human rights and peace.  We will resist von der Leyen’s status quo policies that have entrenched inequality and fuelled the far right.”

And S&D leader Iratxe García said: “We were very sceptical when the candidate came to our group last week, but over the past days we have to admit that she embraced our group’s core demands, with specific proposals for legislation. She recognizes the urgent need to face the climate crisis with a climate law and a carbon tax. She has promised a minimum wage and a European Unemployment Reinsurance scheme; fair taxation for big tech corporations; flexibility in the Stability and Growth Pact, and to include the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the European Semester, respecting our call for sustainability and social justice. The Youth and the Child Guarantees have also been taken up, as well as a more comprehensive plan against poverty. We also found important commitments to finalise the Dublin Reform to deal with migration and to open humanitarian corridors. 

“I also have to welcome the initiatives to fight for gender equality and to eradicate violence against women. She has committed to upholding the rule of law, and our group will closely monitor compliance over the next five years.

“Of course this is not one hundred percent of what we wanted, but thanks to our pressure it is a progressive agenda for the change that Europe needs. We want to avoid an institutional crisis and act with responsibility. Our main goal is to deliver on the demands that citizens expressed in the European elections."

Next steps

The Commission President-elect will now send official letters to the member states' heads of state or government inviting them to propose their candidates for members of the Commission. Hearings of the nominees in Parliament’s competent committees are scheduled to take place from 30 September to 8 October. The full college of Commissioners then needs to be elected by Parliament, most likely in its 21-24 October session. More information here.

More information

• Video recording of the debate 
• Video of the press conference 
• Election of Commission President 
• Ursula von der Leyen’s political priorities as a candidate for Commission President 
• Rules of Procedure 

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