BRUSSELS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday won a second five-year term that she promised would see the EU bolstering its defense capability, strengthening its industry and tackling a housing crisis.

Von der Leyen received votes from 401 MEPs in the 720-seat chamber backing her — over the 361-vote majority she needed to remain head of the EU’s executive body.

There were 284 lawmakers who voted against in the secret ballot, held during the first parliamentary session since EU-wide elections in June.

The German ex-defense minister, who became the first woman leader of the European Commission in 2019, had presented herself as the best and most experienced captain to steer the commission.

But it has been a rocky path to reach this point. The EU’s 27 leaders fiercely debated her candidacy in June before putting her name forward.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz quickly offered his congratulations on social media, calling her reappointment “a clear sign of our ability to act in the European Union, especially in difficult times”.

Von der Leyen belongs to the biggest political group in the parliament, the conservative European People’s Party, which is in a centrist coalition with the Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renew Europe groups.

But the Socialists and Democrats insisted their support for von der Leyen did not mean a “blank cheque”.

“Our job begins now. We will continue working to put our social imprint in all EU policies for the next five years,” the group’s leader, Iratxe Garcia Perez, said.

Greens co-leader Terry Reintke also congratulated von der Leyen.

“As part of a 4-group pro-European majority, we have secured commitments to continue the Green Deal, make the EU more socially fair and protect democracy. We keep the far-right out of power,” she said on X.

 ‘Affordable housing’ 

Before her re-election, she vowed to boost Europe’s competitiveness and ensure significant investment in key industries including defense.

But she also insisted the European Union would not deviate from ambitious climate goals that include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040.

She said she would work on a new “clean industrial deal” to lower energy bills and focus on developing an “affordable housing plan”.

With conflicts in and near Europe, von der Leyen insisted on the need for a “strong Europe” during a “period of deep anxiety and uncertainty”.

Von der Leyen will have to now tackle a wide range of problems including the war in Ukraine, the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and the EU’s trade tensions with China.

She reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression, condemning a visit by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow — just days after his country took on the rotating EU presidency in July — as an “appeasement mission”.

She called for an “immediate and enduring ceasefire” in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, calling for the “bloodshed” to “stop now”.

  Tripling border guards 

Ahead of the vote von der Leyen published a document with more details about her plans.

She said she would build a “European Oceans Pact” to ensure healthier waters. But in an indication of the delicate balancing act she faces, she also promised to protect agriculture after farmers’ protests against green policies.

She said she would create a new commissioner to tackle Europe’s housing crisis, strengthen the EU’s border agency Frontex, triple the number of border guards and reinforce the bloc’s efforts against disinformation.

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