Ursula von der Leyen has been elected as European Commission President for a second five-year term, by a margin of 401 votes to 284.
Europe's newly elected MEPs gathered in Strasbourg on Thursday to vote on whether to re-appoint the German European People's Party (EPP) candidate to the top job in Brussels.
Some 401 representatives voted in favour of von der Leyen, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes. As the parliament is currently composed of 719 MEPs, von der Leyen has achieved the absolute majority of 360 needed to be elected.
The German 65-year-old's previous five-year term was marked by crises like the pandemic and invasion of Ukraine, spiralling inflation and soaring energy prices, as well as the growing prominence of far-right politics across Europe.
In 2019, von der Leyen barely scraped together enough support from MEPs, being appointed as Commission President with a majority of just nine votes. Although there was no obvious alternative candidate in the running, the outcome of the secret ballot to elect von der Leyen this time around was equally uncertain.
Her re-election campaign in recent weeks has been something of a tight-wire balancing act, as she had to appeal to her own coalition bloc of the conservative EPP, left-wing Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and liberal-centrist Renew, as well as looking for votes from the Greens and far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). Thursday’s final count shows that she gathered the support of almost all seats in her pro-European alliance.
Economy and defence
In a nearly hour-long speech to MEPs in Strasbourg on Thursday morning before votes were cast, von der Leyen set out her vision for a second term at the helm of the Commission – including plans for new Commissioner roles to tackle housing, defence, migration in the Mediterranean, and intergenerational policies.
She emphasised that prosperity and competitiveness are the "first priority", and that Europe's competitiveness needs a "major boost", starting with "making business easier and faster". She promised to task each new EU Commissioner to "deep dive" into their portfolio to help reduce burdens on businesses, in particular SMEs.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Credit: Belga
On reconciling "climate protection with a prosperous economy", von der Leyen reiterated her commitment to the historic European Green Deal which she brought over the line during her previous term. She promised to bring forward a new Clean Industrial Deal within the first 100 days of her new presidency and also vowed to enshrine in law a 90% emissions reduction target for 2040.
Von der Leyen outlined the need to ramp up security and defence spending and establish a "true European Defence Union", where a single market for defence would be established and common European defence projects developed, led by a new Defence Commissioner.
Other security proposals outlined by von der Leyen included doubling Europol's staff and strengthening its mandate to become a "truly operational police agency", and tripling the number of European border and coastguards to 30,000.
Getting involved in housing
On the topic of migration over Europe's external borders, particularly on its southern shores, von der Leyen emphasised the importance of implementing the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact and proposed the appointment of a new Commissioner for the Mediterranean Region (who will focus on migration as well as issues like job creation, energy and investment).
In terms of agriculture, which was a hot topic in the run-up to June's European elections, von der Leyen promised to present a new European strategy for the agriculture and food sector, that will "make sure that farmers receive a fair income" as well as support them in the climate transition.
As Europeans are "struggling to find affordable homes" with "soaring" prices and rents, von der Leyen promised to appoint a new EU Housing Commissioner, as well as develop a European Affordable Housing Plan.
People are struggling to find affordable homes.
This is why – for the first time – I will appoint a Commissioner with a direct responsibility for Housing. And we will develop a European Affordable Housing Plan. pic.twitter.com/Sen9r8jAkk — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 18, 2024
"Typically, housing is not seen as a European issue. Some might say we should not get involved. But I want this Commission to support people where it matters the most. If it matters to Europeans, it matters to Europe," she said.
Criticising how social media has played a part in a youth "mental health crisis", von der Leyen also promised to "tackle the plague of cyber-bullying" and "take action against the addictive design of some platforms", by convening the first-ever Europe-wide enquiry on the impact of social media on the wellbeing of young people.
Other commitments included in her wide-ranging speech were developing a Roadmap for Women's Rights in the EU, the establishment of a European Democracy Shield to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, and a new Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, to ensure policies consider the needs of future generations.
