Habemus presidentem: With 401 votes in favour, the European Parliament has reconfirmed Ursula von der Leyen as the president of the European Commission. This vote was not a given. Unable to rely on the support of the super grand coalition of conservatives, social democrats, and liberals alone, von der Leyen went out of her way to secure Green votes in particular.
She promised not only to push forward with the implementation of the Green Deal, but also to expand it with an ambitious 2040 climate target, a climate adaptation strategy, a circular and bio-economy action plan, and an industrial decarbonisation acceleration act. The Greens also received an additional committee chair in the European Parliament, and there are chances the new Commission will have a Green commissioner. It paid off. It was the Green vote in particular that carried the day and got her to the finish line.
The vote for von der Leyen is also a vote for the stability of the European Union, and confirms a four-group democratic majority in the European Parliament. In the midst of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, Chinese sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, and the growing spectre of a Trump 2.0 presidency, the European Union cannot afford further internal disarray. It is already grappling with a rogue Hungarian EU Council Presidency, an uncertain French government, and a lack of leadership in Germany.
The EU top-jobs trio of von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas is a strong one. It will need to be. Key defining issues for the next European Commission will include strengthening green industrial competitiveness, boosting European defence and defending multilateralism, and the reform and enlargement of the EU.
The next key date on the European institutional schedule will be the hearings of the Commissioners-designate, planned for autumn 2024. In this context, we will be presenting a range of analyses, including:
- A series of policy papers from our headquarters in Berlin, which highlight what reforms the EU needs to undertake in order to be fit for enlargement
- A Green Deal Risk Radar, that shows where opposition forces might try to water down the Green Deal
- A policy brief on how the EU can strengthen its defence industry and parliamentary oversight in the context of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.
So stay tuned! In the meantime, I invite you to listen to our podcast with Bas Eickhout, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the EP, on what role the Greens want to play this parliamentary term, read this interview with our Paris office director, Marc Berthold, on the French elections, and check out our “Europe after the EP 2024 elections” dossier, as well as our latest analysis on what Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, wants. Read more in our 6/2024 Böll EU Newsletter.
Wishing you a restful and enjoyable summer!
Warm regards,
Roderick Kefferpütz, Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union
