STRASBOURG, France – Ursula von der Leyen was reelected by the European Parliament on Thursday for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive body.
Von der Leyen detailed her plan for a second term on Thursday morning, ahead of the vote. Among her biggest pledges were new EU defense projects, starting with a European air shield, a commitment not to weaken Europe’s climate change policies, and more support for European industries struggling to compete with the U.S. and China while investing in reducing emissions.
The European Commission will propose a new competitiveness fund in the next EU budget to invest in cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, she said. She also outlined changes to migration policy, including a new approach for the return of migrants and plans to triple the number of European border and coast guards.
Why Does It Matter?
The European Commission drafts and proposes new EU policies and laws. It is the only EU body with this power. It also proposes the EU budget, which in 2020 allocated 1.2 trillion euros ($1.31 trillion) for 2021-2027, plus additional funds to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
These roles give the Commission considerable influence over rules affecting the EU’s 27 countries and their 450 million citizens in areas such as trade, competition in the EU’s single market, farming, and the environment. As its president, von der Leyen determines which issues the Commission will prioritize and which projects will receive billions of euros of EU funding, with the agreement of EU governments.
At the start of her first term in 2019, she made fighting climate change her core mission. Since then, the EU has adopted the most ambitious package of emissions-cutting policies of any major economy in the world.
Von der Leyen also leads the EU’s response to emergencies, such as COVID-19. During the pandemic, the Commission signed multi-billion-euro vaccine contracts. Some lawmakers sharply criticized the handling of these contracts and sued the Commission for refusing to disclose more information on them.
As von der Leyen embarks on her second term, her leadership will continue to shape the EU’s policies and priorities on critical issues facing the bloc.
Source: Reuters
