Symbol supply, FREDERICK FLORIN/AFPArticle informationAuthor, Laura GozziRole, BBC News18 July 2024Updated 29 mins agoEuropean Fee President Ursula von der Leyen has advised the Ecu Parliament she is going to focal point on defence, safety and local weather coverage if she is given a 2d time period, forward of a crunch vote in Strasbourg.”Allow us to make the selection of power,” she advised the Parliament, promising a “Ecu Democracy Defend”.Ms von der Leyen, who has had the activity of Fee president since 2019, will want 361 votes within the 720-seat Parliament to safe any other 5 years within the activity.Fortify from her personal centre-right Ecu Other folks’s Birthday party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats and the liberal Renew must give her sufficient votes. There is not any different candidate status, however what makes the vote doubtlessly tough is that it’s being held in secret – so MEPs can forged ballots with out following their birthday party line.Ms von der Leyen tried to handle the troubles of every political workforce in a wide-ranging speech forward of the vote, during which she made a chain of coverage pledges.Achieving out to Inexperienced MEPs, she stated she sought after the EU to stick with local weather objectives, and vowed that below her management the EU would introduce a 90% greenhouse fuel emission-reduction goal for 2040. In a a nod to her personal centre-right Ecu Other folks’s Birthday party, she stated she would release commonplace defence initiatives, together with a Ecu air defend. She additionally looked as if it would cope with right-wing issues via promising to reinforce’s Europe’s borders via tripling the choice of border guards. There have been additionally references to social rights, reasonably priced housing and the wish to finish the “bloodshed in Gaza”, addressing the troubles of many MEPs at the left.Ms von der Leyen elicited sustained applause when she condemned Hungary’s Viktor Orban for his contemporary go back and forth to Moscow. “This so-called peace undertaking used to be not anything however an appeasement undertaking,” she advised MEPs, with out naming the Hungarian chief.She wrapped up her speech via calling for the Parliament to vote for her once more: “Historical past will stay knocking on Europe’s door, and the will for Europe will likely be more potent than ever.”Whether or not the speech used to be a success in securing Ms von der Leyen a majority will develop into identified afterward Thursday. Sorry, we will be able to’t show this a part of the tale in this light-weight cellular web page.The vote takes position at 13:00 (11:00 GMT), and the end result will likely be introduced two hours later.If Ms von der Leyen does no longer cross these days’s Ecu Parliament vote, the EU will likely be again to sq. one, with leaders having to agree on a brand new candidate who would then wish to be licensed via the Parliament.Despite the fact that names had been floated, no glaring selection candidate has emerged thus far.Ms von der Leyen received the activity 5 years in the past, when her title used to be put ahead via EU leaders in a last-minute deal after a political stalemate over different contenders.On the time, she used to be voted in with best 9 votes over the desired majority. Thursday’s vote would possibly finally end up being simply as shut.Since being nominated for a 2d time period, Ms von der Leyen has held personal conferences with some parliamentary groupings in an try to safe their votes.Her makes an attempt have no longer all the time been a success. After one such assembly, MEPs belonging to the Left grouping stated that they had made up our minds to not vote for Ms von der Leyen because of her willingness to extend army and defence spending.She additionally met with the Vegetables and gained sure alerts – despite the fact that some MEPs stated they’d wait to listen to Ms von der Leyen’s speech on Thursday ahead of making a last determination.She reportedly controlled to persuade some individuals of the right-wing Ecu Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to again her, despite the fact that the Romanian, French and Polish delegations have stated they’d vote towards her. The Italian high minister, who leads the ECR, may be stated to be keeping off on you decide on how she is going to instruct her 24 Italian MEPs to vote till after Ms von der Leyen’s cope with.Then again, in line with Italian media she is leaning in opposition to endorsing Ms von der Leyen in trade for Italy being introduced a senior activity within the subsequent Fee – such because the coveted economic system or pageant portfolios.Ms Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy birthday party, has won a distinguished standing amongst Ecu right-wingers.Symbol supply, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ursula Von der Leyen and Giorgia Meloni on the G7 summit in JuneThe 3rd greatest workforce in Parliament, the newly shaped Patriots for Europe, has refused to again Ms von der Leyen. Shaped via Hungary’s Viktor Orban, it contains the leaders of far-right events in France, Austria and the Netherlands.Some hurdles may additionally rise up from throughout the centrist events that represent the core of Ms von der Leyen’s improve base. A number of centrist Irish MEPs have stated they’re going to vote towards Ms von der Leyen’s nomination on account of her stance at the warfare in Gaza. Some French MEPs belonging to Ms von der Leyen’s personal EPP grouping have additionally stated they would possibly not improve her.
