Despite much opposition, the European Parliament is expected to approve the ‘von der Leyen II’ Commission on Wednesday 27 November in Strasbourg. With just a few hours to go before the vote on the future European College of Commissioners, Parliament is very divided, particularly the S&D and Greens/EFA Groups. While the extremes will not approve the ‘von der Leyen II’ Commission, the groups further to the centre are torn between their convictions and their duty of responsibility.
A majority of votes in favour. The big winner in this institutional tug-of-war (see EUROPE 13531/1), the EPP is expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the ‘von der Leyen II’ College on Wednesday, but a few dissenting voices are being heard. According to one source, the Slovenian and Spanish delegations are expected to vote against and the French were due to reach an agreement on Tuesday evening.
The Group’s President, Germany’s Manfred Weber, also praised the position of the Conservative and Reformist (ECR) Group during the hearings: “[they] allowed Commissioners like Stéphane Séjourné and Teresa Ribera to take up their duties. Without the ECR vote, there would have been no Teresa Ribera, because there would have been no majority”. He also mentioned the possibility, in his view, of a “broad-based rally within Parliament, from the Greens to the ECR”.
The Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the Group to which the Italian Raffaele Fitto belongs and which has aroused the ire of the Socialists and the most left-wing fringe of the Chamber, believe that there is no reason not to endorse the new Commission. “Based on the dynamics we have witnessed before, during and after the hearings, we do not anticipate any obstacles from our side to the final approval”, said Group spokesman Michael Strauss at a press conference on Friday 22 November.
In his view, the ECR Group adopted a balanced position throughout the hearings, with the main policy of “mutual respect and openness for compromise” in order to “keep the Union together”. “We are witnessing a shift in Europe’s political landscape from centre left to centre right. This brings hope for fresh momentum across the Union, and the ECR Group is a decisive force at the heart of these changes”, he said with satisfaction.
The Renew Europe Group is delighted to have secured a large portfolio for Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné and a reduced portfolio for Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi. However, the appointment of Italian Raffaele Fitto is still not going down well, being described as a “political error” by Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer.
On Tuesday evening, Renew Europe decided to vote in favour of the 'von der Leyen II' Commission, having received final written assurances from Ursula von der Leyen that Oliver Várhelyi’s portfolio would be modified in line with the Group’s requests. The Group therefore confirmed its positive vote, with only the French-speaking Belgian delegation - Sophie Wilmes and Yvan Verougstraete - abstaining.
Disagreements within the S&D and Greens/EFA Groups. Dispersed and weakened, the Social Democrats are unlikely to vote as one on Wednesday. Iratxe García Pérez, the Group’s President, welcomed the agreement reached with the EPP and the Liberals, saying that the S&D would “rise to the occasion”. “We are committed to stability in Europe”, she said.
However, this agreement was reached at the expense of the left-wing group’s promise to block the appointment of Raffaele Fitto, a Minister in the ‘Meloni’ government, as Vice-President of the Commission. Several delegations, particularly the French delegation, are finding it difficult to accept this decision, as they believe that the votes will be either against or abstentions.
“For us it’s impossible, we’re going to stick to that line”, explained the Head of the French delegation, Raphaël Glucksmann, at a press briefing on Tuesday. He regretted the missed opportunity to force the EPP to choose. “In our view, we needed to send an extremely clear message to the EPP, because we are going to find a European right and a Manfred Weber who are going to constantly play on the balance of power, first and foremost on ecology, among other issues”, he said. His colleague, Nora Mebarek, condemned “an assumed porosity between the far right and the EPP”.
The Greens/EFA are also divided and the various delegations should act on their behalf. The French MEPs referred to the election of Raffaele Fitto to the post of Vice-President as a “serious error”.
“This vote risks undermining the European institutions and their credibility in the face of rising populism and extremes”, says Marie Toussaint.
Nevertheless, he Group’s Co-Presidents, Dutchman Bas Eickhout and German Terry Reintke, explained why “a small majority” of European ecologists were expected to vote in favour of the new College on Wednesday, citing “very difficult” internal debates on Monday evening.
Although they acknowledged that the appointment of the Italian conservative Raffaele Fitto as Vice-President of the Commission was still highly problematic for their political family, they felt that they had obtained sufficient guarantees from Ursula von der Leyen, whom they had met that very morning in Strasbourg, in terms of the majority sought in Parliament and the content of the policies to be presented.
“We are ready to play the game and get involved in the battle to achieve the objectives of the ‘European Green Deal’, even if we don’t have 100% guarantees”, said Terry Reintke. In her view, Mrs von der Leyen's statement at the time of the appointment of the former co-chairman of the Greens/EFA group, the Belgian Philippe Lamberts, as advisor (EUROPE 13531/22), shows that, according to the Commission President, the ecologists are part of the pro-European majority.
According to our information, the German, Dutch, Romanian and Baltic delegations in the Greens/EFA Group are expected to vote in favour of the ‘von der Leyen II’ College, with a few minor differences, while the French, Belgian and Italian delegations are expected to vote against. The five members of the Volt party, close to the Pirates, decided unanimously to vote in favour of the new Commission. “Unfortunately, this reflects the political landscape of Europe”, said Dutch MEP Anna Strolenberg in a statement.
Opposition from PfE, ESN and The Left. Alonso De Mendoza Asensi, spokesman for the Patriots for Europe (PfE) Group, had announced at a press conference on Friday 22 November that the Group decided to vote against the College of Commissioners. He deplored the fact that the process had been seriously disrupted. “Our Group is convinced that the selection of candidates should be based on their skills, on their track record, and on their experience, but unfortunately, this was not the case”, he said.
He criticised the lack of transparency, with negotiations taking place behind closed doors, which undermines the trust and fairness of the process. “The treatment of the Hungarian candidate is a good example of this broken system”, he said (see EUROPE 13529/7). “For our Group, this sends the wrong message to the people of Europe”, he concluded.
At a press briefing, Mathilde Androuët MEP (PfE, French) said that the Commissioners’ appointments did not always reflect the results of the ballot box, the most telling example being Stéphane Séjourné. “Current events are somewhat upsetting the reality of European [leaders]”, she stressed. She also pointed to the fact that national considerations are taking over, notably with the case of the Spaniard Teresa Ribera, who is accused by her EPP compatriots of being responsible for the floods in Valencia (see EUROPE 13523/1). “But, in practice, they are being swept aside by Parliament”, said Mathilde Androuët.
In a press release published on Tuesday evening, the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) Group announced that it also would not be voting in favour of the Commission. They did not like the rejection of nuclear energy, the idea of a more federal and integrated Europe, or the increase in the number of women on the management boards of major companies. “These appointments mark a woke, punitive and federal drift of the European Commission, which the Group’s MEPs cannot accept”, they said.
Finally, The Left will also vote against the College. “We are going to see the marriage of the right and the far right and the explosion of the cordon sanitaire”, deplored the Group’s Co-President, Frenchwoman Manon Aubry, at a press briefing. “We are going to have the most right-wing Commission in history, which will be supported by part of the left, because the Greens and the Socialists have given in on all their red lines”, she warned. “The only winner in all this is Manfred Weber, who has taken power”, she added.
She regretted that there was no longer a Commissioner responsible for gender equality in the wake of the Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women (see EUROPE 13531/21), the signing of the trade treaty with Mercosur, the undermining of the ‘Green Deal’ and migration policy. “We will be the only real opposition group; today the resistance begins”, she said. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani, Isalia Stieffatre, Mathieu Bion and Solenn Paulic, with the editorial staff)