- Ursula von der Leyen re-elected as EU Commission President
- Won 401 MEP votes; required 360
- Focus on defense, climate, and democracy
Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as President of the European Commission in a secret ballot of MEPs.
She received the support of 401 Members of the European Parliament at a vote in Strasbourg on Thursday, 41 more than she required.
Ms von der Leyen, representing the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), was first elected in 2019.
She will now continue to lead the EU for another five years.
“You can imagine that this is a very emotional and special moment for me,” she said following the vote, hailing the outcome as a sign of great confidence.
Ms von der Leyen told MEPs earlier on Thursday that she would advocate for more military spending to support European defense and that she was dedicated to meeting climate commitments.
She also condemned the “demagogues and extremists” who “destroy our European way of life” and pledged to work with “all the democratic forces” in Parliament.
“The past five years have demonstrated what we can do together. Let’s do it again. Let us choose strength,” she stated.
Ms von der Leyen’s nomination was confirmed during an EU leaders’ summit last month, although not all of them supported her.
Before the ballot, she had won the support of her center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats, the liberal Renew, and the Greens, albeit not all of their members voted for her.
“Seize the opportunity: Sign up for Webull UK and receive free shares!”
Two hundred eighty-four members of the European Parliament opposed her. Far-right groups, including the largest and newly founded Patriots for Europe, opposed her being awarded a second term.
European leaders immediately praised her re-election, with Germany’s Olaf Scholz describing it as a “clear sign of our ability to act in the European Union, especially in difficult times.”
The other two prominent EU positions will be filled by António Costa, a former Socialist prime minister of Portugal, who will lead the European Council, which represents the 27 EU states, and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, who has resigned as prime minister to become the EU’s foreign affairs leader.
