President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. | Photo credit: AP
Ursula von der Leyen pledged to be a strong leader for Europe at a time of crisis and polarization when she made her final leadership pitch in a speech to lawmakers in the European Parliament on July 18, ahead of the vote on whether to grant her a second five would be awarded. -year term as President of the European Union Executive Commission.
The secret ballot in the 720-seat parliament follows strong gains by the far right in last month’s European Parliament election.
“I will never allow the extreme polarization of our societies to be accepted. I will never accept demagogues and extremists destroying our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all Democratic forces in this house,” said Ms. von der Leyen.
If a majority of lawmakers reject her candidacy, leaders of the 27-nation bloc would scramble to find a replacement as Europe grapples with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change.
In her speech to parliament, von der Leyen said: “The fate of Europe depends on what we do next.” Over the past five years, Von der Leyen has guided the bloc through a series of crises, including Britain’s departure from the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also pushed for a Green Deal with the aim of making the EU climate neutral by 2050.
Ms von der Leyen’s election came as newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed around 45 government leaders to discuss migration, energy security and the threat from Russia as he tries to repair relations between Britain and its European neighbors.
The leaders signed the conservative German Von der Leyen during a summit conference at the end of last month. The 65-year-old von der Leyen’s bid got a boost when the European People’s Party, which also includes Ms von der Leyen’s Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group in the EU Parliament after the elections.
But her re-election is not a foregone conclusion as some lawmakers within her own centre-right European People’s Party could still vote against her. She needs an absolute majority of 361 votes to secure a second term. The German politician has been praised for her leading role during the coronavirus crisis, when the EU collectively bought vaccines for its citizens. But she was also sharply criticized for the opacity of negotiations with vaccine producers.
The EU Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that the commission did not provide the public with sufficient access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it concluded with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic.
Following elections to the EU Parliament, European Union leaders have agreed on the officials who will hold key positions in the world’s largest trading bloc in the coming years, on issues ranging from antitrust investigations to foreign policy. At Ms von der Leyen’s side are two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as president of the European Council and Kaja Kallas of Estonia as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.
While Costa’s nomination only needed approval from leaders, Kallas will also need to be approved by European lawmakers later this year. The Estonian Prime Minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO.
