EU Parliament Gives Final Approval to 'Von Der Leyen II' Commission

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Facts

  • The European Parliament voted 370 to 282, with 36 abstentions, to approve the second Ursula von der Leyen European Commission as a whole on Wednesday, months after she was re-elected for another five-year term.[1][2]
  • Though this marks the first time since 1999 that not commissioner-designates were rejected, it also saw the new team of commissioners receive the lowest support ever recorded (54%).[3][4]
  • Set to take office on Dec. 1, 2024, the commission includes 14 members of the center-right European People's Party, five of the liberal Renew Party, four of the Socialists & Democrats, and one of the right-wing European Conservative and Reformists (ECR).[4][5]
  • Estonia's former prime minister Kaja Kallas will take over from Josep Borrell as the EU's top diplomat, while Andrius Kubilius of Lithuania will lead the new space and defense portfolio.[6][7]
  • Kallas will also be one of the six executive vice presidents, along with Henna Virkkunen of Finland, Roxana Mînzatu of Romania, Stéphane Séjourné of France, Teresa Ribera of Spain, and Raffaele Fitto — the first ever from the ECR.[8][3][4]
  • Von der Leyen has pledged, in the coming months, to boost Europe's economic competitiveness, close the innovation gap with the US and China, increase and optimize defense spending, and counter irregular migration.[9][10]

Sources: [1]European Parliament, [2]Euronews, [3]EU Observer, [4]POLITICO, [5]Financial Times, [6]European Council, [7]DW, [8]Anadolu Agency, [9]Reuters and [10]France 24.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Economist. A second von der Leyen Commission represents a necessary evolution in European politics, reflecting voter preferences and maintaining stability through broader yet still predominantly centrist ideologies. Some may claim that she should have kept hard-right out of the college, but she wisely defended democracy by opening the door only to pro-Europe right-wing figures.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The European Conservative. This new Commission certainly has some political differences and controversial candidates on all sides. However, in reality, the team is nothing more than a back-room coalition of mainstream parties. It's no surprise they received the lowest support rate in EU history as, despite a clear popular mandate for change this summer, the establishment has found a way to protect the status quo.
  • Left narrative, as provided by World Socialist Web Site. The appointment of far-right politicians to key positions in the Commission shows that the so-called firewall against extremists in Europe is an illusion. EU institutions are normalizing the far-right to a dangerous extent, a move that undermines democratic values and threatens policies on the climate, social justice, and workers' rights.

Predictions