EU Commission President - Almost there: Von der Leyen nominated for a second term in office
Ursula von der Leyen took an important hurdle for a further term as President of the European Commission. The heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries agreed at the EU summit in Brussels with a large majority to the personnel proposals of the major European party families. "I am grateful to the heads of state and government for their support of my nomination for a second term," said the CDU politician and former German minister in the early hours of Friday.
Moreover, at the summit, a strategic agenda with goals for the EU for the coming years was adopted, and the EU membership process of Georgia was decided to be put on hold for the time being due to the government's course there.
How it goes for von der Leyen
Before von der Leyen can begin her second term, she must now win a majority in the European Parliament. The vote in Strasbourg could already take place in mid-July. Von der Leyen announced in the early hours of Friday that she would speak with various parties and groups in the coming weeks. What is important to her is that they are pro-European, pro-Ukrainian, and pro-rule-of-law.
Supported by an informal alliance with the European People's Party (EPP), the Social Democrats, and the Liberals, von der Leyen is certainly supported. This theoretical coalition has a comfortable majority of approximately 400 of the 720 votes. However, it is considered possible that a series of German MEPs will abstain in the secret ballot. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed optimism, despite this, that von der Leyen will be elected. "The President enjoys a good reputation in the Parliament," said the SPD politician after the meeting.
Since 2019, von der Leyen has been Commission President and thus head of around 32,000 employees, who among other things propose new EU laws and oversee the observance of European treaties. In addition, the politician from Lower Saxony sits at almost all major international summit meetings such as G7 or G20 as the EU representative at the table.
The new EU trio
The allocation of the top posts in the European Council was already more or less certain due to an agreement among the major European party families before the summit began. The next Council President will be the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa. The Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is designated as EU Foreign Affairs Representative.
Costa was long considered the European socialist par excellence. He is the son of a famous writer from Indian Goa and managed as head of a minority government a balancing act shortly after the Euro crisis, which was considered impossible: He loosened the belt tighteners and increased social spending and public investments, but at the same time managed to consolidate the state finances.
As the 62-year-old jurist stepped down as Prime Minister of Portugal in November due to a corruption scandal, his political career seemed to be over. However, the investigators were later found to have worked unsavory, and it is now said that Costa and other suspects have not been implicated.
Kallas has been standing first woman in Estonia's history at the government helm since 2021 - and is known as a proponent of a firm Western stance towards Moscow. With a clear-cut attitude and unwavering support for Kiev, the 47-year-old has made a name for herself internationally - she was even titled "Europe's new iron lady."
The jurist has politics in her veins: Her father Siim Kallas was once Estonia's Prime Minister and a long-term EU Commissioner. She herself spent four years in Brussels - as an EU Parliament member from 2014 to 2018. She was also rumored to be a possible new NATO Secretary-General. However, there were concerns that she might focus solely on Russia and the Ukraine War in the future.
Irritated Mood before the Nomination
The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her anger over the nomination process. She criticized that she, despite the good results of her party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), was not involved in the discussions about the personnel package at the European Council. The procedure was wrong both in method and content, wrote the right-wing politician after the summit on X. Out of respect for the citizens and taxpayers, she could not support this process.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also objected to this. During the summit, several heads of government tried to calm the waters and declared that it was not about excluding someone.
The approval of the two countries was not necessary, as no unanimity was required. At least 20 EU countries had to agree, representing at least 65% of the EU population. Scholz defended the agreement of the large party families: The European Council had to make a proposal that could find a majority in the parliament.
What the EU plans for the next five years
Besides the personnel matters, the summit also decided on a new strategic agenda, according to which the EU should become militarily independent and strengthen its defense industry. To effectively protect the EU from threats from countries like China or Russia, the European Commission estimates that additional investments of around 500 billion Euro will be necessary in the next decade.
Germany and France had originally wanted to make several changes to the text but could not push through. Scholz criticized the agenda as not ambitious enough. In particular, on the topics of competition and climate protection, Germany could have imagined more, he noted. He did not accept common debts for defense financing and the refinancing of national defense budgets from the EU budget, emphasized the Chancellor.
- Ursula von der Leyen's personal details include her affiliation with the CDU and her previous role as a German minister.
- The EU summit in Brussels saw a majority approval for von der Leyen's proposal for another term as EU Commission President.
- The SPD, EPP, and Liberals have pledged their support for von der Leyen, potentially giving her a comfortable majority in the European Parliament.
- António Costa, the former Portuguese Prime Minister, is set to become the next President of the European Council, according to the EU summit agreements.
- Kaja Kallas, the Estonian Prime Minister, was designated as EU Foreign Affairs Representative by the major European party families during the EU summit.
- Viktor Orbán, Hungary's Prime Minister, expressed dissatisfaction with the EU summit's nomination process, but his approval was not required for the decisions to come into effect.
- The EU summit in Brussels decided to put Georgia's EU membership process on hold due to concerns about its government's course.
- The EU plans to become militarily independent, strengthen its defense industry, and allocate additional investments of around 500 billion Euro to safeguard against threats from countries like China and Russia.
