AfricaTopSuccess They make Africa
The European Parliament largely voted this Thursday, July 18, 2024 for Ursula Von der Leyen, who will remain at the head of the European Commission for the next five years.
The 65-year-old politician was expected to secure the support of at least 361 of the 719 MEPs elected last June.
At the end of a secret ballot, the German official obtained 401 votes of support (284 against, 15 abstentions, 7 draws), a score well beyond the absolute majority she needed.
A crisis mandate
The former German minister asserted herself through crises. Faced with the shock of Covid-19, it piloted a gigantic European recovery plan financed by unprecedented common debt. After the invasion of Ukraine, it showed its support for kyiv and defined a strategy to end energy dependence on Moscow.
Long advocating a “Geopolitical Commission”, it aims to be a guarantee of stability in the face of geopolitical tensions: conflict in Gaza, dispute with Beijing, possible return of Donald Trump… It committed Thursday to massively boosting investments in the defense industry, with a dedicated commissioner.
“We need a strong Europe in a period of great anxiety and uncertainty”, she pleaded in a speech mixing English, French and German, where she tried to respond before the vote to contradictory expectations of the various groups.
