After the European elections: EU Parliament gives the green light to von der Leyen’s Commission

Almost six months after the European elections, the new EU Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen can start work. The European Parliament voted with 370 of 688 votes cast in Strasbourg for the team, which, in addition to the Germans, consists of 10 women and 16 men. 282 MPs voted against and 36 abstained. Although von der Leyen’s commission got significantly more votes than necessary, the result was worse than all other commissions in the past 30 years.

This was due, among other things, to the shift to the right in parliament since the last election. The extreme right, for example, voted unanimously against von der Leyen’s commission.

In addition, von der Leyen had alienated parts of parliament by nominating certain commissioners, so that in the end only the liberal faction in parliament voted for her. Even within the center-right EPP alliance, to which von der Leyen’s CDU belongs, some MPs voted against the commission team. The German SPD, for example, largely abstained from the vote, and some Greens also did not vote for the commission. They justified this by saying that von der Leyen had appointed the right-wing Italian Raffaele Fitto as one of the vice presidents.

Nevertheless, the commission can now start as planned in December. This step was crucial for future EU policy: the Commission is the only institution in the European Union that can propose laws for the community of states. It also monitors compliance with EU law.

Competition, cars, start-ups: new topics for the new commission

While the climate crisis was one of the driving issues when von der Leyen took office for the first time in 2019, other problems are now coming into focus. Von der Leyen named the fight for the survival of the auto industry in Europe as one of her priorities for the next five years. To this end, there should initially be a strategic dialogue under her leadership. “The European automotive industry is a pride of Europe. Millions of jobs depend on it.” We must work together to ensure that the future of the car continues to be shaped in Europe.

This is likely to be particularly relevant for the simmering trade conflict with China, which the new trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic has to resolve: The EU accuses Beijing of distorting competition through subsidies and decided on extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars last month. China is currently examining countermeasures that could also affect German car manufacturers. Another huge issue could be new US tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump wants to introduce.

Von der Leyen also announced a strategy for greater competitiveness. “A start-up from California can expand and raise capital throughout the United States. But a start-up in Europe has to deal with 27 different national hurdles,” criticized von der Leyen. It must be made easier to grow in Europe. Further initiatives for lower energy prices should also serve this purpose.

Defense Commissioner for the first time

Even before the vote, von der Leyen signaled her changed priorities by creating the new position of defense commissioner. Lithuania’s former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should ensure that Europe becomes more militarily independent and can invest more easily in European armaments projects.

In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Von der Leyen called for increased defense spending by the EU states. “Russia spends up to nine percent of its gross domestic product on defense. Europe spends an average of 1.9 percent. There is something wrong in this equation,” said the CDU politician. Kaja Kallas is now also responsible for ensuring that support for war-torn Ukraine does not diminish. The Estonian will be the European Union’s new chief diplomat.

Von der Leyen’s nominations caused great controversy

The vote came almost six months after the European elections, in which von der Leyen’s center-right EPP alliance received the most votes. She was then confirmed for her second term as EU Commission President in July and presented her dream team in September.

The nomination of the Italian Fitto, who will in future be responsible, among other things, for reforms and the funding pot for regional development, caused a particular stir. The right-wing politician is seen by many in Brussels as politically moderate and pro-European. However, the Social Democrats in Parliament strongly objected to a right-wing politician from the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni being given a prominent position such as that of Vice President.

In return, the EPP, which also includes the CDU and CSU, initially blocked the appointment of the socialist Teresa Ribera as Commissioner for Competition Policy and Green Change. Conservative and right-wing MPs accuse the previous Spanish Environment Minister of failing to deal with the severe flooding in the Valencia region. The Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, who was criticized for his loyalty to the authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was also controversial. Ultimately, however, after long negotiations, the major parliamentary groups reached an agreement so that Fitto, Ribera and Varhelyi can now take office.

Extreme right-wing politicians voted against Ursula von der Leyen’s commission. The German AfD MP and parliamentary manager of the ESN parliamentary group, Christine Anderson, insulted the team as a “pure rubble force” without giving any specific reasons.

The Austrian FPÖ politician Harald Vilimsky accused her – also without concrete evidence – of standing for mass migration, deprivation of freedom, warmongering and deindustrialization. He also criticized the size of the commission as inflated. “You could have saved money, you could have deregulated, you could have left your commissioners with some orchid reports here and used this money for European citizens,” he said in the direction of Ursula von der Leyen.