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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrates after she was re-elected for a second term at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France on July 18.
| Photo Credit: AFP
The story so far: On July 18, the newly constituted European Commission (EC), the executive arm of the European Union, elected Ursula von der Leyen, the ECโs first female President, for a second term. Ms. Von der Leyen, of the centre-right European Peopleโs Party (EPP), won by a clear majority of 40 votes unlike the razor-thin nine vote margin she secured in 2019.
How is the EC President chosen?
The selection of the EC President entails a two-stage process in consonance with the results of the parliamentary polls. The candidate is initially proposed and elected by the European Council โ comprising the leaders of the EUโs 27 member countries โ and subsequently put to a secret ballot in parliament. Conventionally, the Councilโs choice has been a straightforward affair, determined essentially by the steady dominance of top three of the blocโs eight political groups, namely the EPP, the centre-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and the liberal Renew group.
Yet the decision regarding Ms. Von der Leyenโs candidature was not unanimous. Brothers of Italy, the party of Giorgia Meloni, Italyโs far right Prime Minister, had bagged the maximum number of seats in the EU parliamentary polls. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the far-right caucus Ms. Meloni heads, had for a short time managed to muster the numbers to be counted the third largest group in the legislature. Italy, moreover, is one of the EUโs six founder members and the blocโs third largest economy. Given this formidable background, the Italian far-right caucus was straining every nerve to exert Romeโs clout on the EU stage. While EU leaders and heads of the three main groups finalised Ms. Von der Leyenโs candidature, Ms. Meloni took strong exception to her exclusion from the meeting. In the end, Ms. Meloni and the hard-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban disapproved the decision, leaving it to the remaining 25 leaders to back the Councilโs nominee.
What about the vote in parliament?
The ripples from Ms. Meloniโs abstention in the Council were felt across the board, giving momentary pause for Ms. Von der Leyenโs prospects for automatic reinstatement by the legislature. There were even murmurs of the Council calling for a possible second vote in case parliament rejected her appointment.
Eventually, Ms. Von der Leyen secured 401 votes, exactly the number of seats held by the parliamentโs three main political groups supporting her, and well over the halfway mark in the 720-strong house. It fell to the 53 MEPs s from the Green party to come to Ms. Von der Leyenโs final rescue, backing for the first time a commission nominee. The revival of the landmark Green Deal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, in return for the partyโs critical support, remains to be seen. Ms. Meloni and the ECR are for now a much reduced force. A more potent threat facing EU centrists is the newly launched Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant Patriots for Europe group, which has overtaken the ECR and is now the third largest bloc in parliament.
What will be the challenges Ms. Von der Leyenโs will have to face?
The blocโs most powerful institution, the EC, speaks as a single voice on external affairs and proposes legislation covering areas that require collective action, sifting through competing claims arising from divergent national and ideological perspectives. The most complex exercise of them all is the formulation of the blocโs seven-year budget. Crucially, Ms. Von der Leyen has pledged to tie national disbursements from the EU budget to the observance of the rule of law and plans to impose conditions relating to the respect for fundamental rights for availing other funds. With far-right parties heading national governments or in coalition, democratic backsliding could be a matter of some concern in the coming years.
Ms. Von der Leyenโs second term would be anything but smooth sailing, as she seeks to appease and accommodate particular political constituencies.
The writer is Director, Strategic Initiatives, AgnoShin Technologies.
