Von der Leyen presents her team to the European Parliament – DW – 11/27/2024
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised the European Parliament this Wednesday (11/27/2024) for her new team of 26 Commissioners to work “from the centre”, overcoming “fragmentation” Will fight and remain united to face the challenges of the new legislature. “We are ready to start work immediately,” said von der Leyen, who guaranteed she would work “from the centre” with “all democratic and pro-European forces” of the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen said one of her first “major” initiatives in the institution’s second term would be to promote an economic strategy called the “Competitiveness Compass” that would be based on the recommendations of the report prepared by Mario Draghi. The head of the European Commission pointed out, “Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength. Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce and our social model depends on an economy that Which grows and faces demographic change.” , a type of Community executive that also has powers in European legislative initiatives.
On the other hand, he stressed that EU countries should invest more in the defense sector. Von der Leyen said, Russia “invests up to 9% of its GDP in defence. Europe spends an average of 1.9%. (…) Our defense spending must increase, and we need a single market for defence. We need to strengthen the defense industrial base,” he said while presenting his new team of commissioners to MEPs.
He said, “We have no time to waste and we must be equally ambitious because the threats are serious. That is why we will present a plan on the future of European defense in the first hundred days of this mandate.” According to von der Leyen, “European security will always be a priority for this Commission.” The conflict in Ukraine, which is invaded by Russia in February 2022, means that war “is on the borders of Europe and we must be prepared for what awaits us,” von der Leyen said.
The European Parliament’s plenary session this Wednesday must vote on the approval of the new European Commission as a whole, with MEPs voting for the 26 commissioners. “I ask you to trust this team,” von der Leyen said. He said, “I ask you to choose a future of freedom for Europe. This path has never been the easiest. But we know that together we can achieve it.”
LGC (EFE, AFP, dpa)