It's a harder day than expected for Ursula von der Leyen, the former German minister designated by the European Council to the presidency of the EU Commission.Strasbourg European Parliament is meeting today in plenary assembly to approve (or reject) his nomination. Voting will take place between 18 and 20 pm.
VOTE IN THE BALANCE
Von der Leyen it needs 374 votes (out of 747) and to find them he had to look for allies where he wouldn't want to. According to the latest calculations he should make it, but it hasn't been said yet. Angela Merkel's candidate, strengthened by the support of popular block, failed to fully convince Socialists e Liberals: for this reason she was forced to deal with Identity and Democracy, the right-wing (but also far-right) group in which Eurosceptic and sovereignist parties such as the League, the French National Front or the German Alternative für Deutschland converge.
WHO IS URSULA VON DER LEYEN
Von der Leyen - whose past counts more than a scandal, including the accusation of having copied the doctoral texts - had to commit herself to the Carroccio to pursue a series of objectives on the immigration front that her predecessor, Jean Claude Juncker, has never managed to get, like the reform of the Dublin accords.
Not only that: the President-designate of the Commission, by extraction decidedly more rigorous than the outgoing Luxembourger, also had to give guarantees on the flexibility in the application of the Stability and Growth Pact. A concession that made the penalty takers of Northern Europe turn up their noses.
THE INTENTIONS OF THE PARTIES
Also for this reason, both the League and the Five Star Movement seem oriented towards voting in favor of Von der Leyen, but their harmony risks splitting the sovereign front.
With letters sent to Socialists e Liberals, however, German politics has tried to breach the sensitivity of the two political families by leveraging a program that touches both sides: from the establishment of a European mechanism to reinsure the unemployed to monitoring the rule of law, passing through the The goal is to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. Socialists, originally hostile to von der Leyen, may also be attracted by his choice to dump Juncker's controversial right-hand man Martin Selmayr.
THE SPEECH BEFORE MEPs
In her speech delivered this morning before the vote, the German defense minister of the CDU, Angela Merkel's centre-right party, tried to convince MEPs to vote in her favor by addressing the thorniest issues of recent months, from immigration to wages minimum, passing through flexibility and the environment.
IMMIGRATION
“The Mediterranean has become one of the deadliest borders in the world, at sea there is an obligation to save lives“, said von der Leyen, “The EU needs human borders – he added -, we must save lives, but also we must reduce irregular migration, fight smugglers".
MINIMUM SALARY
“I want to ensure that in a social market economy every person who works full time can have a minimum wage that guarantees a dignified life. Therefore we will develop a framework that respects the workforce, the optimal option is to have collective bargaining with the unions because they can adjust the minimum wage to the sector and the sector. I know there are different models but we have to create a general picture,” said the candidate before the vote.
ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENT
"I will present a green deal for Europe in the first XNUMX days of my mandate”, he announced, underlining that “One of the pressing challenges” for the EU “is to keep the planet healthy. It is the greatest responsibility and opportunity of our time,” von der Leyen stressed. “I want Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050”, added the German minister, applauded by the hemicycle. “To achieve this goal – she added – we must take courageous steps together. Our goal of reducing "Co2" emissions by 40% by 2030 is not enough, it is necessary to "go further" by aiming for a reduction in emissions "of 50% if not 55%".
STRENGTHEN EUROPE
“For me only one thing is important, Europe must be strengthened and whoever wants to make it flourish will have me on their side, but whoever wants to weaken this Europe will find in me a tough enemy“said Ursula von der Leyen.
Last update: 12.03 on 16 July
