“There is still a centrist majority in favor of a strong Europe. And that is crucial for stability. In other words, the center resists.” The president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyenhas celebrated the resounding victory of European People’s Party (EPP) in the elections to the European Parliament and has offered an alliance to socialists and liberals to repeat a second term.
Von der Leyen first needs the heads of state and government to appoint him by a qualified majority. “I am confident that I can muster that support in the European Council”, the German said in a brief press appearance after the results were published. The first attempt will occur at an informal leaders’ dinner on June 17 and the final decision must be made at the summit on June 27-28.
Next, the president needs an absolute majority of votes in the European Chamber (that is, at least 361 of the 720 seats). The vote will probably take place on July 18. The ‘grand coalition’ of popular, socialist and liberal members who supported him during his first term, he has achieved around 400 MEPs, which in principle leaves him with a sufficient safety net to cover possible defections.
[La ‘gran coalición’ de populares, socialistas y liberales resiste el empuje ultra y retiene la mayoría]
Von der Leyen has been in favor of repeating this scheme. “This platform has worked well for the last five years. It has been reliable. It has been constructive. It has been effective. And that is why, as a first step, I am going to reach out to the S&D group (socialists) and Renew (liberals)“, has explained.
Its ultimate goal is “to build a broad majority in favor of a strong Europe.” “I have shown in my first term what a strong Europe can achieve. My goal is to continue on this path with those who are pro-European, pro-Ukraine and pro-rule of law“, has said.
Unlike what happened in the central campaign debate, Von der Leyen has not explicitly mentioned the Brothers of Italy in this group. Giorgia Meloni, who are active in the radical right group European Conservatives and Reformists. And he has said that the election results also demonstrate the push of the “extreme left and right.”
“That is why the result carries a great responsibility for the parties in the center. We may have differences on specific points. But we are all interested in stability and we all want a strong and effective Europe,” she insisted.
“This election does not occur in a vacuum. The world around us is in crisis. External and internal forces are trying to destabilize our societies. And they are trying to weaken Europe. They will never win. We will never let that happen,” says the president.
Both the socialists and the liberals have shown themselves willing to support a second term for Von der Leyen in exchange for agreeing on a government program with a series of conditions. Even the Greens have not ruled out joining the ‘grand coalition’, from which they were excluded in the previous legislature. However, the socialists have set as a red line that the president rule out any type of collaboration with the radical right and the extreme right.
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