Ursula von der Leyen’s New Commission Receives Final Approval From MEPs.

A majority of Members of the European Parliament gave on Wednesday the final approval to the new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen.

The new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen received on Wednesday the final approval from the European Parliament, allowing the executive to take office on 1 December and kick-start the five-year legislative cycle.

The proposed team obtained 370 votes in favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions from lawmakers in Strasbourg, representing nearly 54% of all votes cast, the slimmest majority in history for a new Commission.

In her introduction speech, von der Leyen promised a Commission head-on focused on reviving the EU’s stagnant economy, boosting competitiveness, cutting red tape, unlocking investment and closing the innovation gap with the United States and China.

Support for Ukraine, defence, migration management, enlargement, climate action, budget reform and the rule of law will also be among her team’s top priorities, set to be shaped by the bloc’s gradual shift to the right.

“Our fight for freedom may look different to generations past. But the stakes are just as high,” von der Leyen told lawmakers.

“These freedoms will not come for free. It will mean making difficult choices. It will mean massive investment in our security and prosperity. And above all, it will mean staying united and true to our values.”

Wednesday’s tally is noticeably smaller than the 401 votes that von der Leyen secured from the Parliament when she pitched her re-election in July, reflecting a shrinking majority backed by fewer progressives and more right-wing forces.

The change in arithmetics is likely due to the partisan squabbling that plagued the confirmation hearings of the new Commissioners.

The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), prodded by Spain’s Partido Popular (PP), mounted a fierce campaign against Teresa Ribera (Clean, Just and Competitive Transition), framing her as responsible for the response to the Valencia flash floods.

Ribera, who until recently served in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet, fought back, arguing the management of natural disasters is first and foremost the task of the regional government, which in Valencia is under the PP’s control.

Meanwhile, the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and the liberals of Renew Europe decried the appointment of Rafaelle Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms) as one of the executive vice-presidents, warning his ties with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and the European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) amounted to a dangerous normalisation of far-right politics.