Von der Leyen won the vote in the European Parliament and will remain President of the European Commission

Spokespersons for the Populars, Socialists and Liberals had said they would vote in favour, the Greens did not say they rejected it and the Group of Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) left its members independent.

Von der Leyen has promised to strengthen the EU’s military capabilities within the Atlantic alliance to create “a true defense union,” which will continue to be considered the “main pillar” for the security of Europeans. She has also reiterated that “we will be with Ukraine as long as it takes to help them resist and win” and has strongly criticized the visit to Moscow of “the prime minister of a member country,” a reference to Hungary’s Viktor Orban, whose management she considered “a sign of appeasement, not of the search for peace.”

Management claims

The president’s speech was a more important confirmation than expected of his management, in particular the Green Pact of which he said he would maintain the 2030 and 2050 objectives despite criticism even in his own party. For this reason, he promised that in the first hundred days of his term he would reach an agreement with industry to accelerate the changes because “Europe is decarbonizing and renewing itself at the same time and therefore industry needs certainty to be able to program its investments.” long term. And in this sense he reiterated that “our dependence on Russian fossil fuels is over forever.”

However, he did not forget to make references to the issues that most concern the voters who have supported the radical right-wing forces. He has promised a “strategic dialogue” on the future of agriculture, in order to prepare its adaptation to climate imbalances, including improvements in water management.

He also promised, among other things, to strengthen the defense of the borders by tripling the staff of the Frontex agency to face the hybrid attacks that countries on the eastern border face. And it also proposes that Europol “become a true cross-border police agency” capable of acting across borders, for which it is willing to double its resources.

In a bid to appease the Socialist group, the president has also promised that she will create for the first time a position in the Commission with responsibility for housing policy and has announced a plan “to defend against foreign agents hostile to European democracy, civil society and the rule of law”.

The attempt by the radical left group to postpone the vote until September, due to the decision known yesterday and which condemned the European Commission for not allowing proper access to information on joint purchase agreements for vaccines during the pandemic, was rejected in the plenary session.