Il vertice dell'UE nomina Ursula von der Leyen per il secondo mandato
The European Council has nominated CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the EU Commission. The former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa was chosen as the next President of the European Council, and the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was appointed as the new EU Foreign Policy Chief.
According to reports from Brussels delegations during an EU summit, this personnel package was already expected due to an agreement among major European party families in the middle of the week. The presidency of the EU Commission is considered the most significant position to be filled after the European elections, with approximately 32,000 employees under the command of the president, who proposes new EU laws and enforces European treaties. The Commission president also represents the EU at major international summit meetings, such as G7 or G20.
The basis for the personnel package was the result of the European elections three weeks ago. The Center-Right European People's Party (EPP), to which the CDU and CSU belong, achieved the best result with CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen as their lead candidate. She will now form an informal coalition with the second-placed party families of the Social Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals (Renew) in the parliament.
However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed their displeasure with the process, as they were not involved in the discussions about the personnel package. Nevertheless, their approval was not necessary, as at least 20 EU countries representing a minimum of 65% of the EU population had to agree.
At the Thursday summit, several prime ministers tried to calm the waters, emphasizing that it was not about excluding anyone. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated, "There is no Europe without Italy, and there is no decision without Prime Minister Meloni. That's clear to me."
Despite having a comfortable majority of approximately 400 out of 720 votes, von der Leyen still needs to secure a majority in the European Parliament for her confirmation. The European Parliament is expected to vote on her nomination on July 16, with a simple majority required for confirmation. If she fails to secure a majority, a second round of voting will take place on July 17. If she still fails to secure a majority, the European Council will have to propose a new candidate.
To enable Ursula von der Leyen to begin a second term, she is currently actively seeking votes from deputies of other parties, particularly from the Greens. Representatives of the party have recently signaled openness for talks. The vote in the Strasbourg Parliament could already be scheduled according to statements by Parliament President Roberta Metsola in the third week of July.
The EU Council's decision to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the EU Commission is a significant move in EU Politics, given her role as the CDU politician with a vast influence in shaping EU laws and representing the EU at international summits. Despite some criticisms from leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, von der Leyen now needs to secure a majority in the European Parliament for her confirmation, which is expected to take place on July 16 or 17.
Mandato europeo: Von der Leyen si candida a un secondo mandato
Ursula von der Leyen
Presidente della Commissione europea
Consiglio europeo
Giorgia Meloni
Viktor Orbán
European People's Party
Socialdemocratici europei
Alleanza dei Popoli
Renew Europe
European Parliament
Donald Tusk
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Olaf Scholz
Pedro S%C3%A1nchez
Emmanuel Macron
Mark Rutte
Roberta Metsola
