The MEPs of the ECR Group in the European Parliament will reserve until the last moment their decision to vote, on Thursday 18 July at 1pm, for – or against – the reappointment of German Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission.
The Co-Chair of the Conservative Group, the Italian Nicola Procaccini, indicated, on Thursday 11 July, that there will be no voting instructions at group level on the position to be taken regarding Mrs von der Leyen's candidacy. “The (national) delegations have always been very free” in their choice of vote, he told journalists at the end of the Conference of Presidents (CoP) of the political groups.
But at this stage, noted the ECR Group’s Co-Chair, the political programme of the platform that Mr von der Leyen is trying to put together in Parliament for her re-election appears to be “too similar” to that of the previous mandate. “This will lead to a no vote”, he said.
When Ms von der Leyen was appointed by the European Council, Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, abstained, playing on constructive ambiguity, while she had opposed the appointment of Mr Costa as President of the European Council and Ms Kallas as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs (see EUROPE 13441/1). She is the one who will decide on the position to be taken by the Fratelli d’Italia MEPs.
Mr Procaccini also pointed out that in 2019, Fratelli d’ Italia MEPs had voted against the election of Mrs von der Leyen, while Polish MEPs from the PiS party had voted against. The Czech Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, recently indicated that the elected members of his ODS party would support the European People’s Party candidate this year.
On Tuesday 16 July in Strasbourg, the ECR group will receive Ms von der Leyen, at the Conservatives’ request. According to Mr Procaccini, they will reiterate their priorities for the 2024-2029 legislative cycle: pursue a “pragmatic approach” to implementing the European Green Deal, as the last five years have been “terrible” in this respect; “stronger control of illegal immigration”; respect the national competences enshrined in the European treaties in order to prevent the creation of an “EU superstate”; keep “cultural traditions” alive.
Lastly, the MEP welcomed the formation of political forces on the far right, insofar as the political spectrum would be tilted more in favour of the Conservatives. “We have been and will continue to be the moderate right”, he said. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)