At the EU summit in Brussels, the European Council made an important decision to nominate the current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for a second term. However, the nomination process was not without its challenges, not least due to strong skepticism and abstention from the vote by Italy, the third largest member of the European Union.
According to the Financial Times, on the evening of June 27, local time, most EU leaders reached an agreement to support von der Leyen to continue to serve as president of the European Commission. At the same time, former Portuguese Prime Minister Costa and Prime Minister Kallas of the small European country of Estonia were also elected as the next President of the European Council and the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, respectively. However, behind this decision, there is a lot of political turmoil.
Italian Prime Minister Meloni and her right-wing group, "European Conservatives and Reformists", abstained from voting in this vote. Meloni said she was unhappy with the appointment process, believing it was "wrong in both approach and content". She stressed that out of respect for citizens and the will they showed in the elections, she decided not to support the nomination. Meloni's caucus has been strong in the European Parliament elections in June, and she believes that EU leadership appointments should be more transparent and democratic.
At the same time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also voted against it, further exacerbating political tensions within the EU.
However, in the eyes of other EU member states, it is even more important to maintain continuity of leadership in light of the current challenges facing Europe, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and economic uncertainty. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the consensus on the EU's appointments was an "important signal" and that he was confident that the EU could make good and fast progress under the new leadership. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed satisfaction with the decision, believing that it would be beneficial for both Poland and Europe.
Although von der Leyen has the support of a majority of leaders, she still needs to win a majority vote in the European Parliament to be officially re-elected. The European Parliament will vote in the week of July 15. Von der Leyen's European People's Party, the Alliance for the Progress of Socialists and Democrats and Ristian Europe now appear to have an advantage in about 410 of the 720 seats in the European Parliament. However, given the possible defection scenario in the European Parliament's secret ballot, von der Leyen's path to re-election remains uncertain.
At this critical juncture, the votes of Meloni's "European conservatives and reformers" are crucial for von der Leyen. Although Meloni abstained from voting, she did not completely rule out the possibility of supporting von der Leyen. If von der Leyen can win Meloni's support, her path to re-election will be smoother.
Von der Leyen's re-election nomination, while supported by the majority of leaders, faces challenges and uncertainties. The game of political forces within the EU and the interweaving of national interests make this decision-making process complex and delicate. Next, the European Parliament's vote will determine von der Leyen's fate and will also have a profound impact on the future direction of the EU.