Von der Leyen Secures Second E.U. Term, but It’s a New World Out There
Originally published by Matina Stevis-Gridneff for the New York Times
After a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and a major war in Europe, not many feel nostalgia for the past five years. Ursula von der Leyen soon might.
On Thursday, Ms. von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, secured European Parliament approval to lead the European Union’s executive branch for a second five-year term.
It looks set to be even messier than the first, if that is possible. With the war in Ukraine in its third year and the prospect of a second Trump administration looming, the world is becoming a very different place from the one Ms. von der Leyen has helped the European Union navigate since 2019.
Not least, Europe’s own politics continue to be roiled by a nationalist far right whose strong showing in E.U.-wide elections in June threatened to deny her a new term. A German conservative politician, Ms. von der Leyen was confirmed after a decisive approval vote at the Parliament on Thursday.
She secured 401 votes in favor — 40 more than the 361 required for the majority of the 720-seat assembly. The comfortable majority (she was confirmed by just nine votes in 2019) reflects her successful efforts in rallying pro-European Union, pro-Ukraine centrist forces around her, particularly as a potential counterweight to a Trump presidency across the Atlantic.
Greens and liberals also backed her in Thursday’s vote, while representatives from nationalist, nativist and hard-line anti-migrant parties, including representatives aligned with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, voted against her.
Ms. von der Leyen, 65, was previously largely unknown in Europe, having served in cabinets in Germany under the Chancellor Angela Merkel without much distinction. She emerged from the wings in 2019 as the bloc leaders’ pick for the commission president role, leaving observers perplexed given her inexperience and lack of profile.
Five years on, Ms. von der Leyen has gained prominence with voters and on the global stage. Her detractors assert that she is a micromanager who has overextended her office’s powers with little accountability, particularly in her handling of the Covid pandemic. She has also been criticized for seemingly unqualified support for Israel in its war against Hamas, a position not shared by most E.U. nations.