European Commission President was elected for a second term on Thursday (18 July) in Strasbourg. Although it was expected to be a very close call, von der Leyen received 401 votes, well above the 361-vote threshold. The vote shows that 284 lawmakers voted against her re-election, while there were 15 abstentions and 7 void. Her vote was successful following the Greens’ announcing just before the vote that they would back her candidacy.
Before her confirmation vote, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented her political guidelines for the next 5-year term. Ms. von der Leyen opened her remarks by declaring that, “in a world full of adversary, Europe’s destiny hinges on what we do next.”
During her 60-minute speech, she extensively focused on the need to develop the European Green Deal to ensure Europe’s economy is focused on sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, saying “Europe can choose to embrace change and invest in a new age of prosperity and bettering our lives”. Von der Leyen highlighted the need for more investment from farming to industry, and digital to strategic technologies, declaring that “Europe must be the home of opportunity and innovation.”
Von der Leyen spoke about the geopolitical challenges faced by Europe due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing war in Palestine. She has pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes in its fight against Russia, highlighting Europe’s need to invest more in defence. Von der Leyen has pledged to create “a true European Defence Union” and criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent visit to Russian President Putin in Moscow as an “appeasement mission”.
Regarding green policies, von der Leyen pledged new measures to help European industries stay competitive while they invest in reducing emissions and promised a legally binding legally binding 90% emission reduction target by 2040. Additionally, she will put forward a new Clean Industrial Deal in her first 100 days in office.
While overall light on healthcare, Ms. von der Leyen, for the first time, confirmed that the Commission will put forward a Critical Medicines Act to address medicines shortages. However, no timeline for such an Act has been outlined. In line with the Act and the current work on revising the Pharma Package, the Commission will also enhance supply chains, increase access to treatments and tackle antimicrobial resistance as part of its continued objective to create a European Health Union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election signals strong support for her ambitious agenda. Emphasising sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, she aims to improve Europe’s economy through the Green Deal and Strategic investments. Focusing on defence, von der Leyen promises a resilient Europe ready to tackle ongoing geopolitical challenges.
