Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as European Commission president for a second term by the European Parliament
Ms von der Leyen will stand as European Commission president for the next five years.
The vote was held by secret paper ballot. 401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes.
Ahead of the vote, Ms von der Leyen put forward her vision for a stronger and more prosperous Europe.
Ursula von der Leyen’s key initiatives for Europe include:
- A new Clean Industrial Deal
- A European Competitiveness Fund
- Boost security by doubling Europol’s staff and tripling the number of European Border and Coast Guards to 30,000
- A European Democracy Shield for countering foreign information manipulation and interference
- A European Affordable Housing Plan
- A plan for agriculture to address the need to adapt to climate change
- A Roadmap for Women’s Rights
- The importance of the Erasmus+ programme, mental health, and tackling issues related to screen time and social media, including addictive practices
- A proposal to create a new post of Commissioner for Defence to drive the European Defence Union
- A comprehensive aerial defence system – a European Air Shield
Ms von der Leyen was first elected in 2019. During her term, she has been praised for her handling of crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, praising her support for Kyiv against Russian aggression.
