Today Ursula von der Leyen goes to the count in Strasbourg with a fateful number in her head: 401. These are the votes with which she was re-elected president of the European Commission on 18 July last, by secret ballot. Its new college of commissioners will be voted on in plenary, by simple majority and by open vote. However, the European political landscape has undergone significant changes in recent months. One of the most important was the openness towards the ECR group, the European Conservatives and Reformists, of which Fratelli d’Italia is part, which will vote in its support since Fitto is both commissioner of the Pnrr and vice-president.
The president of the EU Commission has confidence and manages to include greens, socialists, liberals, EPP and ECR in her new majority. The Socialists are clear in declaring that the majority includes the Greens but not ECR. The Greens feel included in the coalition, but only partially. The EPP, then, through its group leader Manfred Weber, speaks of a European majority that goes “from the Greens to the ECR”, specifying that the pro-European front includes only a part of the ECR, or Brothers of Italy. In reality, Giorgia Meloni’s party will give its vote to today’s package, reserving the right to give its support in the future depending on the measures that will be launched by the new Commission.
Von der Leyen’s other strategic move concerns the greens: he has in fact appointed former group leader Philippe Lamberts as special advisor on climate. At that point, half of the Green group, around twenty MEPs led by the German and Dutch delegations, chose to support the new Commission. The Italian, Belgian and French delegations instead opt for no. Difficult situation even among socialists. The group, led by the Spanish Iratxe García Pérez, decided to support the new Commission, taking a step back from the no to Raffaele Fitto, who many of them had described as an “exponent of a post-fascist force”. The Italian and Spanish delegations lead the yes front for von der Leyen, while the Germans, French and Belgians are divided between abstentions and votes against.
In Italy, meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s protests over the nomination of Raffaele Fitto as executive vice president have dissolved into a soap bubble. “Italians understand that having an executive vice president of the European Commission, a role never held before by Italy, with strategic delegations, is a great opportunity and reflects Italy’s role in Europe”, said Giorgia Meloni. According to breaking news reported by Ansa, however, the German SPD has decided to abstain. “For the first time in the history of EU institutions, a representative of a post-fascist party is about to obtain a leadership position. This was only possible because the President of the Commission proposed Raffaele Fitto to the prominent position of Vice President of the Commission, even if the family of his party, that is Ecr, did not vote for his nomination”, wrote the SPD delegation to the European Chamber, MEP Rene Repasi, in a note.
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* How does the proposed inclusion of the ECR group, specifically Fratelli d’Italia, complicate the formation of a sustainable majority for von der Leyen’s Commission?
**News Interview: Ursula von der Leyen’s Re-Election**
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Today we’re joined by Professor Anna Petrova, a leading expert on European politics, to discuss the recent re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission. Professor Petrova, thanks for joining us.
**Professor Petrova:** It’s a pleasure to be here.
**Host:** Von der Leyen won re-election in July, but the political landscape has shifted since then. Can you elaborate on the challenges she faces in building her new Commission?
**Professor Petrova:** Certainly. Von der Leyen needs a majority in the European Parliament to approve her new college of Commissioners. When re-elected, she secured 401 votes, but building a sustainable majority now is proving complex.
**Host:** The article mentions the openness towards the ECR group, which includes Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia. What’s the significance of this?
**Professor Petrova:** It’s a notable shift. Fratelli d’Italia, under Giorgia Meloni, will support von der Leyen’s commission, largely due to Raffaele Fitto, a party member, being appointed Commissioner for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) and Vice-President. However, their support isn’t necessarily unconditional and may hinge on specific policies introduced by the new commission.
**Host:** The article highlights divisions within different political groups. Can you shed light on that?
**Professor Petrova:** Absolutely. There’s a
fragmented support base for von der Leyen. The Greens are only partially on board, and while the Socialists say they support the Commission, there’s internal dissent over including the ECR in the majority.
**Host:** What does this complex political landscape mean for von der Leyen’s ability to govern effectively?
**Professor Petrova:** It presents significant challenges. Each group has its own interests and priorities. Von der Leyen will need to navigate these divisions carefully to build consensus and implement her agenda. Compromises will be essential, and her ability to broker those effectively will determine the success of her term.
