The European Parliament approves the second Von der Leyen Commission, with Teresa Ribera as vice president of Competition

The investiture has gone ahead with 370 votes in favor, 282 against and 36 abstentions. That is, with the support of just 53.8% of the votes cast, the lowest percentage in history. In her first term, the German achieved 65%. The new team will take office from December 1 for a five-year term.

Von der Leyen’s second Commission has had the ‘grand coalition’ support formed by popular, socialists and liberals, although with divisions and internal tears in these great political families. In fact, Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s PP has distanced itself from its group and has voted against. “I’d rather lose a vote than my principles. We will be loyal to a European Commission led by the EPP, but we voted against as a rejection of Teresa Ribera as an incompetent vice president,” Dolors Montserrat justified.

The German has also achieved the support of a part of the Greens and the Giorgia Meloni’s radical right partywhose commissioner, Raffaele Fitto, has been confirmed as executive vice-president for Cohesion and Reforms. The ultra groups Patriots for Europe (where Vox is active) and Europe of Sovereign Nations, as well as the radical left group, voted against.

Among the Spanish MEPs, The only ones that have supported Von der Leyen’s second Commission have been the PSOE and the PNV. Along with the PP, Vox, Alvise Pérez’s group and all the partners of Pedro Sánchez’s Government have also voted against the college of commissioners (although for different reasons): Sumar, Podemos, Compromís BNG, Bildu and ERC.

During her speech prior to the vote, Von der Leyen presented the 26 members of her second college (one for each Member State) and committed to the European Parliament to govern “from the center” and to “work with all pro-European democratic forces.” The German company has set as priorities for its second term the promotion of innovation and competitiveness of the economy and the strengthening of the security and defense of the continent.

In the new college there are 14 EPP commissioners, 4 socialists and 5 liberals, which represents a significant shift to the right compared to the president’s first term.

The investiture vote was on the verge of being derailed in the last two weeks, during the individual examinations of the commissioners, due to the crisis over the case of Teresa Riberawho had to face a very tense audience. The PP of Alberto Núñez Feijóo He intended to overthrow Ribera for his management at DANA in Valencia and at first he had the support of his European colleagues. For their part, the socialists rejected Meloni’s candidate being named executive vice president because he came from the radical right.

In stoppage time, popular, socialists and liberals reached an agreement last Wednesday to lift the crossed vetoes, reissue their grand coalition agreement and approve the second Von der Leyen Commission without changes. The EPP voted in favor of Teresa Ribera’s evaluation as first vice president of Competition and Green Transition. In exchange for the yes to Ribera, socialists and greens gave their approval to the two radical right commissioners: the Hungarian Olivier Varhélyi and the Italian Raffaele Fitto.

This compromise solution has caused internal tears in all political groups. The French and Belgian socialists have voted against of the second Von der Leyen Commission for considering that it whitewashes the extreme right by giving a relevant role to Fitto. In contrast, the Italian socialists have overwhelmingly supported the new school. The Greens have also divided, despite the group agreeing by a narrow majority to vote in favor.