Ursula von der Leyen has pledged that, if given a second term as the President of the European Commission, she would boost EU’s efforts in sectors like defence and housing. Before a significant validation vote in the European Parliament, she argued against allowing the Union to succumb to political agitators or extremists, declaring her intent not to “stand idly by”. If she gets the nod for a second term, her foremost Responsibility would be strengthening the economic competitiveness of the EU. She said “The game is afoot, and it’s time for Europe to shift gears.”
Von der Leyen needs a minimum of 361 votes out of the potential 720 MEPs to secure her position as the Commission’s leader for another five years. Going into the vote, she enjoys a strong momentum with many MEPs, EU officials and other analysts predicting that she will secure the required vote count. The predominant question in Brussels is – Does Ursula von der Leyen have enough votes?
The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), centralist Renew, and the centre-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D), which together form the ruling majority in the European Parliament, collectively command approximately 400 votes. However, von der Leyen has spent weeks amassing votes from other quarters amid fears of potential rebels within these parties, such as the four Fianna Fáil MEPs from the Renew group, voting against her.
Her Thursday morning speech strived to maintain political equilibrium. She had to garner the backing of different political factions ranging from left-wing Greens to some far-right parties. The voting is slated to commence at around midday Irish time and the results are anticipated to be announced two hours later.
In a policy paper detailing her vision, Ms von der Leyen made a commitment to continue implementing ambitious environmental reforms known as the “green deal”, which have been in action for the past five years. Upon confirmation, she aims to introduce an additional “clean industrial deal” within the first 100 days, aimed at “decarbonising and industrialising” the European Union’s economy according to the details in the document.
Should Ms von der Leyen be given a second term as Commission President, she plans to establish a “European defence union”. While remaining clear that individual EU nations will have the final say on troop deployment, she further plans to form a dedicated commissioner position focusing on defence.
Ms von der Leyen further expressed that future commissions should consider how member nations could amalgamate resources to fund substantial initiatives, such as a European air defence shield.
In the event of her re-election, the responsibility of developing a “European affordable housing plan” would be assigned to one of the new EU commissioners, which points to the union’s intention to combat the housing crisis more assertively.
Ms von der Leyen’s policy document also stressed the need for the EU to take more action to combat “irregular migration”, encompassing more agreements with non-European nations that would render aid in return for assistance in limiting the influx of arrivals.
Last month, Ms von der Leyen was endorsed for another term as Commission President by the majority of the 27 national leaders, paving the way for a parliamentary vote.