BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) – The European Union’s biggest political party on Thursday backed Ursula von der Leyen to seek a second five-year term at the helm of the bloc’s powerful Commission. .
Ms von der Leyen’s nomination was announced at a rally of the centre-right European People’s Party in the Romanian capital Bucharest, the European Parliament, the EU’s only democratically elected body, from June 6 to 9. It was held prior to the election. This support cemented her as the frontrunner for the top spot in the 27-nation bloc.
The EPP is expected to remain the most powerful member of the EU parliament after the June vote, but Ms von der Leyen’s appointment will still require the approval of EU member state leaders. Almost half of the leaders of his 27 countries in the EU are members of his EPP.
Queen of Brussels: Ursula von der Leyen seeks second term as EU chief despite turmoil in first termhttps://t.co/JbUOiIv4JB
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 19, 2024
On Thursday, as the two-day EPP conference concluded, von der Leyen warned of the expected rise of populists in the upcoming elections and Russia’s attempts to “wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth.”
“Our peaceful and united Europe is being challenged like never before by populists, nationalists and agitators, whether on the far right or the far left,” she said. “The name may be different, but the purpose is the same. They want to trample on our values and destroy Europe… The EPP will never allow it.”
Ms von der Leyen has steered the EU through a series of crises since she was elected in 2019 to lead the European Commission, which represents the EU’s 450 million people. These include Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She also promoted the Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050.
Von der Leyen noted that Europe was trying to reduce its dependence on Russian energy after President Vladimir Putin ordered the war in Ukraine two years ago.
‘Not up to par’ French party refuses to support Ursula von der Leyen for second term as EU PM https://t.co/WarRKM7BSU
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“We have resisted Putin’s blackmail with dirty coal, oil and gas. We have gotten rid of this dependency,” she said. “We are investing heavily in clean energy. We are the first in Europe to produce more electricity from wind and solar than gas. This creates good jobs at home, lowers prices and Pollution will be cleaned up, and that will give us energy security.”
Wind and solar power will generate 22% of the EU’s electricity in 2022, overtaking fossil gas at 20% for the first time and remaining ahead of coal-fired power at 16%, according to a recent study by energy think tank Ember.
The EU executive branch, which has around 32,000 staff, is responsible for proposing legislation on a wide range of policies, from agriculture, energy and health to transport. It oversees whether member countries respect the rules that underpin the world’s largest trading bloc. The Commission will also act as a strong antitrust regulator to ensure fair competition across Europe.
In recent years, the European Commission has gained significant powers, in particular leading the EU’s joint efforts to secure vaccines for almost 500 million Europeans during the pandemic and implementing measures to combat the spread of the disease. has gained significant powers in dealing with the economic impacts of .
Farage: Von der Leyen wants to build ‘newest form of communism’ and advance EU military https://t.co/WvcFetxY43
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 16, 2019
Luxembourg-born employment and social rights commissioner Nicola Schmidt, a member of Mr von der Leyen’s team, was chosen in Rome last weekend as the leading candidate for the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party, the second largest group in parliament. .
Neither von der Leyen nor Schmidt will run in the June election.
Among other groups that have confirmed their candidates, German EU lawmaker Terry Reinke and Dutch counterpart Bas Eickhout are candidates for the Green Party, while Austrian politician Walter Beier is running for the European Left Party. I plan to.
EU’s von der Leyen announces expansion of green agenda at World Economic Forum https://t.co/VbXrUwiYX4
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 18, 2023
