EU Parliament approves Von der Leyen Commission II

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the Von der Leyen Commission II with 370 votes in favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions.

After a hearing process marked by cross-vetoes driven by partisan interests, the European Parliament gave its support in a tight vote, to the new Commission of Ursula von der Leyen.

This new Executive will have the 26 commissioners initially appointed, a scenario that has not been repeated for two decades.

The former third vice-president of the Spanish Government, Teresa Ribera, will serve as executive vice-president for the Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition and Commissioner for Competition in the new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen, after the leaders of the three main parliamentary groups, Manfred Weber (EPP), Iratxe García (S&D) and Valérie Hayer (RE), reached an agreement last week that will allow the new Community Executive to come into force on 1 December.

To reach this agreement, the EPP agreed to lift the veto on Teresa Ribera, which was pushed last time by the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, in protest against her handling of the DANA crisis. In return, the Social Democrats did the same with the far-right Raffaele Fitto, the candidate of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

During the pre-debate on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen defended her team and detailed her programme, highlighting issues such as competitiveness, the defence of European values, the fight against climate change and security.

Despite political tensions, the Commission received the necessary support to move forward, although some groups, such as the Left, showed their rejection, accusing the Commission of allying itself with the extreme right or prioritising economic interests over social justice.

The Von der Leyen II Commission will get underway this Sunday, December 1, 2024, after obtaining the support of the European Parliament on Tuesday with 370 votes in favor, 282 against and 36 abstentions.

The debate prior to the vote maintained the dynamics established by the political groups during the confirmation hearings of the candidates.

Among the 282 votes against, the extreme right was also included, especially the Patriots for Europe group, which strongly attacked the outgoing and incoming Commission. Its leader, Jordan Bardella, accused Von der Leyen of allying herself with the left, saying that these policies would lead “Europe to the abyss”.

Although the approval of the Commission represents a victory for Von der Leyen, it is marked by deep internal divisions that show the political tensions that could define the legislature.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, have congratulated the current third vice-president of the Government on Wednesday for the confirmation of her appointment for the new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen.