Ursula von der Leyen who got 401 votes will remain at the helm of the Commission for another 5 years and will have to face many challenges. The main eurogroups had announced their intention to vote for her and the question was whether von der Leyen would secure a comfortable majority. The ballot showed a majority of 401 votes, more than the 361 needed. Out of 707 members, 401 voted in favor of Ursula von der Leyen, 284 voted once morest, 15 were white and 7 were invalid.
Among the first European leaders who rushed to congratulate Ursula von der Leyen, was Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with his post on X. The prime minister wrote “Warm congratulations to von der Leyen on her re-election as President of the Commission. Her experience and leadership are invaluable in these challenging times. We will continue to work together and build a stronger, more competitive and strategically autonomous Europe.”
Warmest congratulations to @vonderleyen on her re-election as President of the @EU_Commission. Her experience and leadership are invaluable in these challenging times. We will continue to work together and build a stronger, more competitive & strategically autonomous Europe.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 18, 2024
Ursula von der Leyen: What she said in her speech
Commission president candidate Ursula von der Leyen appeared united before the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
In a speech, which she delivered strategically in three languages English, French, German, von der Leyen reserved something for all the Eurogroups on the basis of her new plan, the political directions she will follow in the coming five years, which she had earlier sent to all Eurogroups. Her speech is a “key” in the vote for the renewal of her mandate which will take place at 2:00 PM (Greece time).
In essence, he promised a new “European Prosperity Plan” in the event that he remains president of the Commission, committed to reducing the bureaucratic and administrative burden, emphasizing investments in innovation and technology so that the EU regains its competitiveness and does not remain ” tail’ once morest its main economic rivals, the US and China.
Of particular interest are the proposals for the creation of new Commissioner positions in her college, one to deal with the housing problem (directly requested by the Socialists), defense (which will work with the new head of European diplomacy Kaya Kalas), and one of of the Mediterranean region with the aim of strengthening neighborhood relations with countries in the region but also with the ultimate goal of dealing with the immigration issue.
Both in her nearly hour-long speech and in her 31-page text on the political guidelines of the new Commission, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized “investments”, mentioning it 49 times, which certainly satisfied the Eurogroups of the European People’s Party (EPP). , the Liberals (Renew) and even the Conservatives and Reformers (ECR) as it is their constant request to emphasize the further unification of the capital markets, the reduction of the bureaucratic burden for businesses, the release of private funds for investments in the defense sector, green and digital transition. In this context, von der Leyen promised the creation of a “special competitiveness fund”, a proposal that will satisfy the French as well as the Eurogroup of Liberals and her party, EPP.
Ursula von der Leyen, however, made special reference in her speech to the proposal submitted by Greece and Poland for the creation of a common air defense shield, she admitted, however, that NATO will remain the defense “pillar” of the EU, but with Europe to take separate initiatives on defense spending.
He also made special reference to dealing with climate change. To the credit of the Greens – who are vacillating as to whether they will support her – she promised a new plan to deal with the climate crisis with an emphasis on the implementation of the already agreed laws and the signing of a new Clean Industry Pact.
Addressing the plenary session – not by chance – in German, the candidate president of the Commission emphasized at the same time the need to ensure a “fair income” for farmers, pointing out that “no one can be forced to sell below the cost of production”. “We should strengthen the position of farmers” he pointed out to add that “they need access to more funds” while promising to promote dialogue between farmers and environmental organizations.
With regard to immigration and with an eye mainly to the Eurogroup of the ECR of Georgia Meloni and also of the EPP, he said that he would propose an increase in the number of Frontex border guards to 30,000. “We will promote a new common approach to returns, with a new legislative framework” he added regarding the issue of migrant returns, also a key demand of the leaders of the EPP and many EU countries.
Of special interest was the reference to the need to “change the conditions” as this is a constant request of several Eurogroups in the parliament. Ursula von der Leyen stressed that “we need a change of circumstances” to improve the EU, institutions and use the momentum “as a catalyst to change our capacity to act, our policies and our budget”, while pledging for greater cooperation between the Commission and the European Parliament.
He received the loudest applause from almost all wings of the semicircle – apart from the far-right Eurogroups – when he condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow, calling his “peace mission” a “mission of appeasement.” He did not name Orban personally but said that “Europe will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.”
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