Greens emerge as kingmakers as von der Leyen vows to keep the centrist coalition strong.
Pro-European forces celebrated the comfortable re-election of Ursula von der Leyen in Strasbourg’s European Parliament on Thursday.
Von der Leyen relied mainly on allies to her left to secure a second term as European Commission chief – and not, as was once expected, on hard-right Conservatives.
In a vote that over recent weeks has looked too close to call, von der Leyen took a majority of 41, even wider than when she first assumed the role in 2019.
Crucially, she did so by relying on broad support from her own European People’s Party (EPP), the Liberals of Renew Europe, the centre-left Socialists and Democrats, and the Greens group.
Congratulations poured in from leaders across the EU and beyond – although the bloc’s more conservative leaders, such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, have as of yet stayed silent.
During her re-election campaign, von der Leyen had repeatedly made overtures to Melon’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, sparking fears among centrists that her next term as President would veer sharply to the right.
But lawmakers belonging to Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) decided at the last minute to vote against von der Leyen, as did the majority of their ECR group.
From the hard-right caucus, only the New Flemish Alliance (NVA) and Czechia’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS) chose to back von der Leyen.
“After an in-depth analysis over the last few days, after listening to the speech of the candidate this morning, we decided not to support the re-election of the president of the European Commission,” Carlo Fidanza, head of the Parliament’s FdI delegation, said.
“We did it despite having appreciated in recent months the collaborative spirit that has characterised the relationship between the Italian Government and President von der Leyen on some issues,” Fidanza added.
The Greens, meanwhile, got on board following von der Leyen’s political pitch that included a firm commitment to the European Green Deal and safeguarding the rule of law, as well as a new pledge to help EU countries tackle the housing crisis.
“As Greens, we have given Ursula von der Leyen a majority because she has clearly committed to a pro-climate and pro-European course,” Green MEP Michael Bloss said, “This is a rejection of [EPP group leader] Manfred Weber’s right-wing drift and a commitment to Europe.”
The co-president of the Greens group, the Netherlands’ Bas Eickhout, said that political guidelines unveiled by von der Leyen earlier on Thursday were palatable enough to whip Green MEPs to vote in her favour, and they’ll likely now prop up her coalition in the upcoming term.
“There’s a lot of points that she also clearly gave [in the guidelines] to bring the Greens on board,” Eickhout said.
A source close to the Greens group suggested they had lent some 45 of their 53 votes to von der Leyen, which would have made them pivotal in helping her pass the 360-majority mark.
ADVERTISEMENTIt means they will have political leverage in the next mandate despite suffering big losses in June’s European election.
“I have never seen this as a forced majority, I think this is a majority that has been negotiated and has now delivered political guidelines that are probably a good reflection of where these four parties are,” Eickhout said.
Centrists celebrate ‘major victory’ for pro-European forces
The centrist platform that swept von der Leyen to a second term has hailed the vote as a major victory for pro-European forces, after an election campaign that initially cast doubt over the resilience of the centre ground.
“Today is an important day. Today, Europe wins. The pro-European political forces really had a big challenge, a big responsibility, to work together here for this result,” Iratxe García, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats, told Euronews.
ADVERTISEMENTShe added that many of her centre-left group’s key demands, such as climate change and housing, were reflected in von der Leyen’s manifesto.
“It’s about the progressive agenda. It’s a guarantee for a future in peace. And really, we can be satisfied to be part of these big challenges,” García added.
Renew Europe said von der Leyen’s new political agenda carried the “hallmark” of its liberal vision. “Liberals and centrists have secured strong wins; for a stronger European defence, on the need for increased competitiveness and the defence of our values,” the Liberal group’s president Valérie Hayer said.
Greens confident right-wing majorities will not block EU laws
But coalitions in the European Parliament are unstable, meaning that despite von der Leyen’s pledges to work with pro-European forces, right-wing majorities could hypothetical emerge to block legislation over the next term.
ADVERTISEMENTAsked whether he feared the EPP could veer rightwards, the Greens’ Bas Eickhout said: “No … the only thing you can have with the far right is that they block things. I’ve never seen the far right building something.”
“I know the EPP as a party that wants to build something,” he added. “They need us. They need a four-party majority. So now let’s get to work on the political programme that Ursula von der Leyen has laid out.”
Those sitting at the opposite extremes of the hemicycle were scathingly critical of von der Leyen’s re-election.
MEP Jorge Buxadé – who hails from Spain’s far-right Vox party, in the newly formed Patriots for Europe group – told reporters that it was a “sad day for Europe, for farmers and for Europe’s security.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe Patriots’ president, Jordan Bardella, criticised the moderate Conservatives who had backed von der Leyen, and said his group was the only faction to “resolutely oppose the Green Deal, the Migration Pact and the dissolution of our nations.”
The Left group also voted against von der Leyen, despite the Commission President meeting its lawmakers on Wednesday in a bid to fish for extra votes. The group’s president Manon Aubry described her re-election as an “ethical scandal.”
“My group voted unanimously against her,” Aubry said. “We will lead the opposition to this deadly project for people and the planet.”
