After many tensions, reproaches and power games, finally, the plenary session of the European Parliament gave the green light this Wednesday to the next College of Commissioners. The composition of the new Executive of Ursula von der Leyen barely surpasses the last procedure for its approval with the approval of the European Parliament.
Such approval will allow the new European Commission to begin its work this Sunday, December 1, as initially planned, with Teresa Ribera as vice president at the head of the Competition portfolio.
The plenary session of the European Parliament had to vote on the entire configuration of the next community Executive, that is, the support had to be for the entire new leadership, moving away from the personal struggle that took place last week.
With 370 votes in favor, 282 against and 36 abstentions, the MEPs have supported the German design. The result has, however, been tight, exceeding by 44 votes the simple majority necessary to support the new College of Commissioners and shows the deep division of the European Parliament.
The new community Executive leans politically to the right
The new community Executive leans politically to the right, and will thus have 14 commissioners from the European People’s Party, plus the presidency, four socialists, six liberals and three ultra-conservatives.
The new European Commission has had the simple majority necessary for its approval. The traditional coalition of the center, popular, socialists and European liberals have voted in favor, and the votes of part of the Greens and part of the ultra-conservative bench of Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) have been added.
The Spanish popular have rejected Von der Leyen
The process that the chamber faced this Wednesday has not been without controversy. The Spanish popular have rejected and voted against the future Von der Leyen Commission. The refusal, orchestrated a few weeks ago against the third vice president of the Government, Teresa Ribera, has not finally had the support of the entire European popular bench, but it did have the support of the Spanish delegation.
The popular MEP, Dolors Montserrat, has criticized that “Teresa Ribera has disappeared from Spain in the worst of a tragedy” and that “she arrives in Brussels with too many outstanding accounts in Spain and very little credit in Europe.” Thus, the popular Spanish woman has reiterated her “yes to the Commission and no to Ribera, out of principles of loyalty and justice.”
Even before the vote took place, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, came out in favour Ribera’s candidacy. She said that “she is well prepared to ensure that we have a modern competition policy that supports our ambitions. She is a true and devoted European.” Furthermore, the German has assured that “together, we will always work for the European interest.”
Teresa Ribera the vice president of the European Commission
The Spaniard will take over one of the six vice-presidencies of the European Commission. She will be number two with the position of vice president of Just, Clean and Competitive Transition and in charge of the European Competition portfolio. It hasn’t been easy to get there.
The support came after reaching a tense and complex agreement last week between popular, socialists and liberals. All in the face of the refusal of the popular, mainly Spanish, to support Ribera and after accusing her of being responsible for mismanagement of the consequences of the Dana.
The tensions of recent weeks in the European Parliament to achieve support for the College of Commissioners only show what will be difficult parliamentary arithmetic. The results of the European elections left a scenario in which the traditional center coalition of popular, socialists and liberals have lost space in favor of the extreme right.
The ultra-conservative formations entered the European Parliament with force and make it difficult to reach pro-European agreements. Within the new European Commission the trend is replicated. The penetration of right-wing and far-right forces is evident as a reflection of the rise of the far-right in the national governments of the Member States.
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