Ursula von der Leyen's new Commission receives final approval from MEPs

The caller European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen received connected Wednesday the last support from the European Parliament, allowing the enforcement to instrumentality bureau connected 1 December and kick-start the five-year legislative cycle.

The projected Commission obtained 370 votes successful favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions from lawmakers successful Strasbourg, capable to pass.

In her instauration speech, von der Leyen promised a Commission head-on focused connected reviving the EU's stagnant economy, boosting competitiveness, cutting reddish tape, unlocking concern and closing the innovation spread with the United States and China.

Support for Ukraine, defence, migration management, enlargement, clime action, fund betterment and the regularisation of instrumentality volition besides beryllium among her team's apical priorities, acceptable to beryllium shaped by a right-wing displacement crossed the bloc.

"Our combat for state whitethorn look antithetic to generations past. But the stakes are conscionable arsenic high," von der Leyen told lawmakers.

"These freedoms volition not travel for free. It volition mean making hard choices. It volition mean monolithic concern successful our information and prosperity. And supra all, it volition mean staying agreed and existent to our values."

Wednesday's tally is noticeably smaller than the 401 votes that von der Leyen secured from the Parliament erstwhile she pitched her re-election successful July, reflecting a shrinking bulk backed by less progressives and much right-wing forces.

The alteration successful arithmetics is apt owed to the partisan squabbling that plagued the confirmation hearings of the caller Commissioners.

The centre-right European People's Party (EPP), prodded by Spain's Partido Popular (PP), mounted a fierce run against Teresa Ribera (Clean, Just and Competitive Transition), framing her arsenic liable for the effect to the Valencia flash floods.

Ribera, who until precocious served successful Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's cabinet, fought back, arguing the absorption of earthy disasters is archetypal and foremost the task of the determination government, which successful Valencia is nether the PP's control.

Meanwhile, the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and the liberals of Renew Europe decried the assignment of Raffaele Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms) arsenic 1 of the enforcement vice-presidents, informing his ties with Italy's Giorgia Meloni and the European Conservatives and Reformists radical (ECR) amounted to a unsafe normalisation of far-right politics.

Socialists and Liberals besides vigorously opposed Olivér Várhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare) for his adjacent connection to Hungary's Viktor Orbán and his agelong way of controversies, including an infamous occurrence successful which Várhelyi was caught successful an unfastened mic referring to MEPs arsenic "idiots."

The backmost and distant unleashed aggravated days of closed-door negotiations that culminated past week successful a deal to unblock each pending nominations. Ribera's and Fitto's portfolios remained unchanged whereas Várhelyi was stripped of his responsibilities related to reproductive rights and wellness preparedness.

The EPP, the S&D and Renew attempted to spot their differences with a nine-point connection to fortify their centrist coalition. Socialists and Liberals are disquieted astir the alleged "Venezuela majority," which brings unneurotic the EPP with each lawmakers to its right, including those associated with Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán.

A communicative of 2 majorities

The aftermath of these fraught negotiations was inactive palpable connected Wednesday. The main groups were incapable to warrant interior discipline, arsenic nationalist delegations broke ranks and voted against the caller Commission.

"We volition not judge you play some sides," Iratxe García, the person of the Socialists, told the EPP. "It's immoral to physique Europe with those who effort to suppress cardinal rights, those who contradict clime alteration and those who backtrack connected societal justice."

Valérie Hayer, the wide leader, denounced the "Venezuela majority" for being "against Europe" and said the "only viable majority" successful the Parliament was the pro-European conjugation made up of the EPP, the S&D and Renew.

Both García and Hayer straight addressed Manfred Weber, the EPP leader, who galore see to beryllium the mastermind down the 2 majorities. Weber attempted to reclaim his centrist credentials and slammed Le Pen, Orbán and Alternative for Germany (AfD) arsenic his "political enemies," prompting booes from the far-right ranks.

"We person antithetic ideas, we combat for our convictions but we each privation to find compromises and service each Europeans," Weber told the Socialists and Liberals.

The Greens, who were excluded from past week's woody contempt supporting von der Leyen's re-election successful July and sharing galore of her argumentation guidelines, were divided connected Wednesday, with immoderate voting against due to the fact that of Fitto's and Várhelyi's inclusion.

Still, the radical extended an olive subdivision to the caller Commission. "We volition beryllium some captious and constructive," said Greens co-leader Terry Reintke.

In her speech, von der Leyen acknowledged the simmering tensions successful the hemicycle and encouraged each pro-European parties to determination connected and enactment together.

"Overcoming divisions and forging compromises is the hallmark of immoderate vivid democracy. And my connection contiguous is that we privation to enactment with you successful that spirit," she said.

"We volition enactment with each antiauthoritarian pro-European forces successful this House. And arsenic I person done successful my archetypal mandate, I volition ever enactment from the centre. Because we each privation the champion for Europe – and the champion for Europeans. So present is the clip to travel together."