EU Parliament confirms Ursula von der Leyen in top position

Ursula von der Leyen faced a seemingly endless queue of well-wishers in the chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, in scenes that would likely have stunned the very same legislature five years ago when she was thrust as an unknown candidate into one of the top jobs in the European Union (EU).

The German conservative sailed through a vote by EU lawmakers over whether she could stay on as European Commission President until 2029. Of the 707 votes cast, she received a comfortable majority of 401 votes in favor — well ahead of the necessary threshold of 360.

In 2019, she had edged through the same vote with a slim margin of nine.

"This is a very special and emotional moment for me," von der Leyen told reporters shortly after at a press conference, claiming it was also a win for "pro-EU, pro-Ukraine, pro-rule of law", democratic political forces.

In her first five years in office, von der Leyen pushed the EU towards ambitious climate goals — including a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 — closely backed Kyiv in its war against Russia's invasion with arms and aid, and  oversaw a huge post-pandemic investment drive based on unprecedented levels of joint EU borrowing.

Seemingly satisfied with her track record, EU leaders put forward her name to serve another term last month.

Von der Leyen looked strong heading into Thursday's vote , but confirmation from the EU's only directly elected body was a necessary hurdle to clear to stay in office.

Von der Leyen builds support without far right

At Thursday's secret ballot, lawmakers were meeting for the first time since their election in June. The EU parliament's new makeup saw the far right strengthened, but not enough to upend the broad pro-EU, centrist majority that passed most of von der Leyen's legislation in her previous term. The parliament has limited legislative powers but must sign off many of the EU executive's plans.

After weeks of negotiations, von der Leyen had managed to secure the backing of four centrist political groups, including her own dominant center-right European People's Party (EPP). Together, the political families pooled 450 votes, giving von der Leyen plenty of breathing room even with expected dissenters. 

The center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) had indicated they would back von der Leyen's bid as long as she refrained from getting too close to the far right. Despite poor showings in June's parliamentary elections, two other smaller centrist groups — pro-business Renew and the environmentalist Greens — pledged to support von der Leyen on similar terms.

For months, von der Leyen had made overtures to the nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which has far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as its president. In response, S&D, Renew and the Greens accused her of breaking down the traditional political firewall against the radical right.

In the end, von der Leyen did not require ECR's votes, nor could she have relied on them: While the group did not explicitly instruct its members to vote against her, Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party members did, according to group co-leader Nicola Procaccini.

Von der Leyen was roundly rejected by the Left group, which accused her of neglecting rampant poverty in the EU, cozying up to multinationals, and complicity in bloodshed in Gaza. The new far-right Patriots for Europe group, now the third-largest in the EU legislature and home to France's National Rally party, also withheld support for her.

Sweeping promises to supporters

In a speech to the European Parliament, von der Leyen set out her political vision for the next five years and made sweeping promises to supporters.

With an apparent eye to S&D, she announced that one of the novel European Commissioner appointments would be dedicated to housing. Another, likely intended as an offering to Meloni, would be tasked with tackling migration in the Mediterranean. 

The former German defense minister opened her speech with a focus on "prosperity and competitiveness," and said she would propose a "New Clean Industrial Deal" in her first 100 days in office.

"It will channel investment in infrastructure and industry, in particular for energy-intensive sectors," she told lawmakers.

Mindful of the political right, other key announcements included a pledge to increase the number of European coast and border guards to 30,000, and to continue seeking deals to remove unsuccessful asylum seekers to nearby non-EU countries. This policy has been heavily criticized by migrants' rights advocates.

EU budget and Commissioner seats as next steps

As Thu Nguyen, an expert in EU affairs from the Brussels-based Jacques Delors Center, pointed out, the hard work is only just beginning. "One of the big challenges coming ahead is the long-term EU budget," she said, with negotiations starting next year.

Despite future challenges, however, Nguyen welcomed the bundling of centrist forces as a good sign on Thursday. "Today really was a good day against the far right, because it was really a sign that there are four parties from the center… that are able to put together a majority with a wider margin than many of us had expected before," Nguyen told DW.

She pointed out that the European Parliament is not prone to stable coalitions. "The majorities are much more fluid in parliament, and the majority shifts all the time," she explained. That means that von der Leyen may sometimes rely on left-leaning lawmakers to pass her plans, but in other instances she may well look to the far right, Nguyen said.

Von der Leyen's immediate priority will be divvying up the 26 remaining European Commission portfolios — one for each of the 27 EU member countries, including herself. Just like her own top position, the final composition of the College of Commissioners will also require approval from the European Parliament.

Edited by: Maren Sass