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Von der Leyen re-elected for second term

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European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen has been re-elected for a second five-year term. Her nomination by the European Council was approved by MEPs, with 401 votes in her favour and 284 against. She needed at least 360 votes in the secret ballot held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, to secure the required absolute majority of the 719 MEPs (excluding one Catalan nationalist who has not been allowed to take his seat yet).

In theory the support she had secured from the three political groups that generally call the shots in the Parliament, the centre-right EPP, the centrist Renew Group and the centre-left Socialists and Democrats was enough to secure re-election. But in a secret ballot it was always likely that some MEPs would not toe the line. Indeed, some had publicly stated that they would vote against, such as Irish MEPs who felt the Commission President had been too supportive of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

The Greens are proclaiming that the rode to her rescue, stating that “the Greens/EFA Group has secured commitments from the new President to continue the Green Deal, protect democracy and build a more socially just Europe. This vote confirms a four-group democratic majority in the House and prevents the far-right from driving the agenda of the EU over the next five years”.


 
Terry Reintke MEP, Joint President of the Greens/EFA Group, commented: 
“We would like to congratulate Ursula von der Leyen on her re-election as Commission President. We would like to thank her for her fair and trustworthy negotiations over recent weeks. The four group majority is holding firm and is vital for defending our democracy against the far-right. We want to build on this majority to deliver for citizens.  
"We welcome the commitments she has taken to build on the success of the Green Deal, to develop a climate-neutral industrial policy and boost just transition funding. During these negotiations we have secured priorities for our group that we believe Europe urgently needs to become more socially just, such as an EU affordable housing plan and an EU-anti-poverty plan, and action to protect democracy and the rule of law.  
“We have huge challenges ahead of us. We are looking forward to cooperating in a constructive and faithful manner with other democratic groups to deliver for citizens in Europe. That work is only beginning today. The next step will be to confirm the 26 Commissioners and their portfolios. We will carefully scrutinise whether the new Commission as a whole will live up to our demands.”
The Group’s other joint President, Bas Eickhout MEP, added: “Today, we are taking a leap of faith in voting for the Commission President. We have a responsibility to our voters, to the future habitability of our planet and we do not take this decision lightly. We are ready to build on the trust we created in negotiating to see our priorities reflected in the President’s political guidelines.  
“Now Ursula von der Leyen must show that she is serious about making further progress on the Green Deal, building a competitive green and climate-neutral industrial policy, a credible investment plan for Europe, and urgent action against the enemies of democracy. This would also mean that we need to strengthen her agenda with concrete plans for a fossil fuel phase out, social investments, and a focus on a more humane migration policy ensuring protection for those in need.  
“The majority against the far-right must hold for the future. We must not let our guard down in the face of growing far right forces that work to strip away our rights and destroy our democracy. All democratic groups in the European Parliament must take their shared responsibility to unite to stand up to the far-right. The far-right represents the interests of autocrats like the Russian President and can never be a reliable partner.”

Although the secret ballot means that we can never be sure, it’s thought that only about 10 Greens didn’t back von der Leyen. It appears that rumoured support from the hard right ECR group, which includes the Brothers of Italy party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni failed to materialise. The far-right Patriots, that include the French National Rally and Hungary’s Fidesz also voted against re-electing the Commission President.

The other far-right group, the Sovereignists, which includes the Alternative for Germany, were also opposed to von der Leyen, as was the Left group.

Ursula von der Leyen will now officially invite member state governments to nominate their candidates for European Commissioners. Following the vote, she said that "I will now focus on building my team of Commissioners for the next five years. In the coming weeks, I will ask Leaders to put forward their candidates. I will – as I did last time – write a letter and ask for the proposal of a man and a woman as candidate. The only exception is, like last time, when there is an incumbent Commissioner who stays. And then, I will interview the candidates as of mid-August, and I want to pick the best-prepared candidates who share the European commitment. Once again, I will aim for an equal share of men and women at the College table".

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After hearings with the nominees when Parliament returns from its summer break, MEPs will vote on whether they are willing to endorse the proposed college of Commissioners. 

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