Ursula Von der Leyen supported by the European Parliament in her fight for a 2nd term
Ursula von der Leyen received support from the European Parliament on Tuesday in her battle for a second term as president of the European Commission.
Published on 06/11/2024 at 10:07 p.m.
Ursula von der Leyen received support from the European Parliament on Tuesday in her battle for a second term as president of the European Commission.
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The presidents of the different political groups in the European Parliament asked the president of the assembly, Roberta Metsola, to defend the “Spitzenkandidaten” system to European heads of state and government. The latter must soon appoint the person who will head the next Commission for five years. The system provides that the position is entrusted to a person who presented himself as head of the list during the electoral campaign.
The current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to run for a second term. She was therefore the leader of her group in Parliament, the EPP. During Sunday’s European elections, this political family once again came out on top, with 186 seats. Respecting the Spitzenkandidaten system therefore favors the German’s candidacy.
The heads of state and government of the 27 member states are meeting on Monday in Brussels to examine the results of the elections as well as the distribution of different positions of responsibility (called “top jobs” in the jargon). The European treaties allow them to nominate a candidate by qualified majority, taking into account the result of the elections.
According to the German news agency DPA, the liberal Renew party spoke out against Roberta Metsola’s mandate during the consultation of group leaders. Renew has been criticizing the lead system for some time. After the 2019 elections, French President Emmanuel Macron opposed the nomination of EPP candidate Manfred Weber. This is how the presidency of the Commission finally landed with Ursula von der Leyen. The European Parliament disapproved of the maneuver, but MEPs ultimately supported von der Leyen, albeit by a narrow majority.
The Christian Democrat can this time count on the support of 13 heads of state and government affiliated to the EPP. However, the leaders of the large countries of Germany, France, Spain and Italy are not among them. On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not express his support for his compatriot’s candidacy.
After having been designated by the heads of state and government, the candidate for president of the Commission must win the support of an absolute majority of MEPs, i.e. 361 of the 720 elected. To do this, Ms. Von der Leyen is primarily seeking the support of socialists and liberals. With the EPP, these three political families represent around 400 seats in Parliament.
