It is with this tweet that Ursula Von der Leyen, German defense minister, becomes the first female president of the EU Commission. It's a narrow victory because 374 votes from MEPs in the plenary session were needed for the election but she got them and passed them and in the meantime collected the result. There were 327 against and 22 abstentions. The majority parties, the EPP, S&D and Liberals voted in favour, but did not vote unitedly. The 14 from the M5S were decisive for the appointment, while the League sided against it together with the German far right and Le Pen's French sovereignists.
The new president presented his program, in the morning, and said he wanted to support European unity. “I will be the enemy – she underlined – of those who want to weaken the EU”. Instead, it will fight for reforms, the sharing of immigration management, the spread of a guaranteed minimum wage throughout the territory of the Union and a more decisive turn towards a green and carbon-free Europe in the horizon assuming a reduction in emissions CO2 not at 40 but at 50 or even 55 per cent in 2030.
“I am honored and moved. The trust you put in me is the trust you put in Europe, a strong and united Europe from East to West, from North to South, ready to fight for the future rather than against itself. It is a great responsibility and the my work starts now. I thank everyone who worked and voted for me but my message to everyone is let's work together constructively”, were the first words of the new president.
"Finally a woman – he had pointed out in the morning – was a candidate for the presidency of the European Commission. I am thanks to all those who have broken barriers and conventions and who have built a Europe based on peace, united, and based on values”, said Ursula von der Leyen receiving an applause from the Plenary. Von der Leyen then recalled Simone Veil.
