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Ursula von der Leyen will serve a second term as president of the European Commission after comfortably winning the support of lawmakers with promises to boost the EU’s defense capabilities and economic competitiveness.
Von der Leyen, who has led the commission since 2019, has pledged to stay on course for a green transformation of Europe and support for Ukraine if she gets a second term. They have positioned themselves as a safe pair as the continent grapples with war, disruptive new technology and political upheaval in the US.
The German won 401 votes in the 720-member European Parliament after the Green Party backed a candidate for the commission for the first time, joining three centrist parties that publicly backed von der Leyen ahead of a secret ballot.
“We are building our own strength. We are strengthening the qualities that Europe has and we are working hard to have a strong Europe,” von der Leyen told reporters after her re-election was confirmed.
But it faces an uphill battle to deliver on its broad and ambitious promises to restore the EU’s competitiveness and boost public and private investment, including in new areas such as defense and housing.
The first head of the commission led the EU through the coronavirus pandemic and the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. She has pledged to preserve the EU’s “competitive advantage” amid fears the continent is falling behind the US and China, in a tilt towards a parliament that has shifted to the right after last month’s election.
She promised to create new dedicated European commissioners for housing, defence, EU enlargement and the Mediterranean region with competence to tackle migration.
The 31-page policy proposal released ahead of the vote referred to “investment” 49 times and appealed to cash-strapped EU governments to see long-delayed progress on better integrating the continent’s capital markets to free up more private funding for defence, the green transition and digital needs.
“Europe needs more investment. From agriculture to industry. From digital to strategic technologies. But also more investment in people and their skills,” von der Leyen said.
The next EU budget, which runs from 2028 to 2035, should be more closely linked to the rule of law, she added, and should also condition disbursements on reforms and investment, as is currently the case with the EU’s post-pandemic recovery. funds.
“We will maintain a very clear principle in our budget: respect for the rule of law is a must for EU funds. In this budget and in the future,” she told parliament to applause.
She also said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “nothing but a reassurance mission” pledging to maintain EU support for Ukraine’s defense against Moscow.
Her policy document, agreed by three centrist political parties, has been a sticking point since her first term, which was dominated by a sweeping plan to tackle climate change.
She said on Thursday that the focus of this Green Deal would shift to implementing existing laws, not making new ones.
The Greens, who have 53 MEPs, voted for her anyway. Terry Reintke told the Strasbourg assembly that they had “made compromises” in negotiations with von der Leyen. They secured “most of the pro-European groups in this house. . . keep the far right out”.
About 30 percent of MPs are from hard-line or far-right parties.
The proposed defense commissioner, who is being lobbied by EU capitals because of the Russian war and the increasing likelihood that Donald Trump will win the US election in November and reduce Washington’s commitment to European security, would seek to pool resources for military spending.
“Regardless of elections in other parts of the world, this is important. . . we have a stronger Europe,” she said when asked if Trump’s campaign had influenced her political agenda.
Von der Leyen also proposed a pan-European air defense system and cyber defense as “projects of common European interest” that could attract EU funding.
EU business groups have long complained that Brussels regulations hold them back as they try to compete with the US and China in emerging sectors such as green technology.
Von der Leyen suggested giving the commission’s vice-president charge of “implementation and simplification” to make the process easier, and called for a new approach to EU merger policies that would allow companies to grow at home and take on global giants.
“We need a competition policy that encourages companies to grow,” she said. “Europe must be the home of opportunity and innovation.”
Manfred Weber, leader of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party, the largest in the assembly, said his members were “happy”. “Competitiveness, security and stopping illegal migration are the priorities of the new commission.”
However, one MEP said that von der Leyen’s list of promises was a “European Christmas tree” with presents for all parties, while he doubted whether everything could be fulfilled.