“But the most important is the overarching topic of strengthening our democracy,” she said. “Our democracy is under attack from inside and from outside, and therefore it is crucial that the democratic forces stand together to defend our democracy.” The Greens/European Free Alliance group in the parliament voted for von der Leyen after receiving assurances from her on her commitment to Europe’s climate initiatives, improving social policies including moves to provide affordable housing and to not do deals with the far right.

“The majority against the far right must hold for the future. We must not let our guard down in the face of growing far-right forces that work to strip away our rights and destroy our democracy,” said the group’s president Bas Eickhout.

A clear majority of 401 lawmakers in the 720-seat legislature voted for the German Christian Democrat after a speech in which she pledged to be a strong leader for Europe in a time of crisis and polarisation.

The secret ballot came hot on the heels of strong gains by the far right in last month’s election for the European Parliament.

Italy’s far-right League party said in a statement that von der Leyen’s victory “has betrayed the vote of millions of voters who were asking for change and who now will suffer the wicked choices of the green extremists.” Von der Leyen earlier told lawmakers she would “never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the democratic forces in this house.” In a speech that sought to shore up support across the political spectrum, von der Leyen pledged to strengthen the EU economy, its police and border agencies, tackle migration and pursue policies tackling climate change while also helping farmers who have staged protests against what they call stifling EU bureaucracy and environmental rules.

She also vowed to tackle housing shortages across Europe and said she would appoint a commissioner for the Mediterranean region due to the multiple challenges it faces.

She also took a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his recent visit to Russia shortly after his country took over the rotating six-month EU presidency.

“This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission,” von der Leyen said as she vowed that Europe would remain shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.

Over the past five years, von der Leyen has steered the bloc through a series of crises, including Britain’s exit from the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also pushed a Green Deal aiming to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.

Von der Leyen’s election came as newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was welcoming some 45 European heads of government to discuss migration, energy security and the threat from Russia as he seeks to restore relations between the UK and its continental neighbours.

Starmer took to X to congratulate her and say he looks forward to “working closely with you to reset the relationship between the UK and the European Union.” EU leaders signed off on von der Leyen’s candidacy at a summit meeting late last month. The 65-year-old’s bid was boosted when the center-right European People’s Party, which includes von der Leyen’s Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group in the EU Parliament after the elections.

The German politician has been praised for her leading role during the coronavirus crisis, when the EU bought vaccines collectively for its citizens. But she also found herself receiving sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations with vaccine makers.

The EU general court ruled Wednesday that the commission did not allow the public enough access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic.

Following the elections for EU Parliament, European Union leaders agreed on the officials who will hold the key positions in the world’s biggest trading bloc in the coming years for issues ranging from antitrust investigations to foreign policy. At the side of von der Leyen will be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.

While Costa’s nomination only needed the leaders’ approval, Kallas will also need to be approved by European lawmakers later this year. The Estonian prime minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO.

First Published: Jul 18 2024 | 10:43 PM IST