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, i.e. 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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What are the key challenges Ursula von der Leyen faces in governing with her new diverse coalition?
## Interview: Ursula von der Leyen’s New Commission
**Interviewer:** Today the European Parliament votes on Ursula von der Leyen’s new Commission. How has the political landscape shifted since her initial election?
**Guest:** There have been significant changes since von der Leyen secured her re-election back in July. We see a new openness towards the ECR group, which includes Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, who will now vote in support of her new college of commissioners. This is primarily due to Raffaele Fitto’s appointment as both commissioner for the Pnrr and vice-president.
**Interviewer:** That’s interesting considering the tensions between the ECR, notably Fratelli d’Italia, and some other European parties. Are these tensions gone?
**Guest:** Not completely. While Meloni’s party will vote yes today, they’re reserving their right to offer future support based on the Commission’s actions.
The Socialists, though officially supporting the new Commission, are clear that their majority includes Greens but not ECR members. This indicates a delicate coalition where von der Leyen has to balance competing interests.
**Interviewer:** And how have the Greens reacted?
**Guest:** Split. Von der Leyen’s appointment of former Green group leader Philippe Lamberts as special advisor on climate appeased some. Around twenty MEPs, mainly from the German and Dutch delegations, will now support the Commission.
However, the Italian, Belgian and French delegates still plan to vote no. This division within the Greens highlights the complexity von der Leyen faces in keeping this patchwork coalition together.
**Interviewer:** It sounds like a difficult balancing act. What are the key challenges von der Leyen faces?
**Guest:** Securing her majority is just the first hurdle.
The question is whether this diverse coalition can effectively govern and address the pressing issues facing the EU.
Maintaining unity on key topics like EU budget negotiations, climate change policies, and dealing with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will be critical to von der Leyen’s success.
Only time will tell if this new electoral landscape will foster effective governance or lead to further divisions within the EU.