18.07.2024. / 16:10
STRASBOURG – Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected president of the European Commission in a crucial vote on Thursday, which represented the biggest test of her political legacy, shaped by a series of crises that shook the foundations of the European Union.
PHOTO: Agencies
After an exhaustive examination in the European Parliament, the current president received 401 votes in favor and 284 against, securing a majority for her second five-year term. The last time it faced a debate and a vote, it passed with a very slim majority of nine votes, reports Euronews.
“The last five years have shown what we can achieve together. Let’s do it again. Let’s choose strength. Let’s choose leadership,” said Von der Leyen in an address to European parliamentarians ahead of the vote in Strasbourg. She also stated that she will advocate for EU enlargement.
The decision to re-appoint her followed several days of intense closed-door negotiations during which the German politician persistently met with the main groups in the European Parliament, in some cases multiple times, to secure as much support as possible.
Although three centrist groups, the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the liberals from Renew Europe, had enough mandates to re-elect her, internal disagreements hinted at a precarious calculus, forcing von der Leyen to turn to the Greens and the European conservatives and reformists (ECR) for additional support.
The secret voting procedure makes it impossible to determine who voted for and who against her candidacy, but the speech she gave on Thursday morning, with several prominent references to climate action, suggests that the Greens played a key role in her re-election. Biznis.rs
Source: www.capital.ba
