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4 months ago
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Two Czech MEPs from the hard-right ECR group confirmed to Euractiv Czechia that they voted for Ursula von der Leyen, but “with a heavy heart”, stressing that the vote on the entire European Commission in the autumn will be crucial.
Although re-elected EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen won their support, her speech on Thursday (18 July) outraged Czech representatives in the ECR.
“In the end, it was with a very heavy heart that I voted for her,” Czech MEP Veronika Vrecionová (ODS, ECR) told Euractiv.cz.
In her speech this morning, von der Leyen did not talk about revising the Green Deal for Europe, the Czech MEP said. Vrecionová also did not like von der Leyen’s comments on the situation in the Middle East when she argued for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
However, she appreciated that von der Leyen wanted to emphasise competitiveness and strengthen the defence industry.
“If we want to implement our agenda, we can never do it alone, and it is extremely important for us to work together with the EPP,” Vrecionová said.
“I voted with all my teeth gnashing,” Ondřej Krutílek (ODS, ECR) told Euractiv Czechia.
In his words, he decided to do so because he honoured the agreement of the member states on the name of von der Leyen.
“By voting, I wanted to allow Ursula von der Leyen to show whether she can build a European Commission that will be different from the previous one,” he described.
What matters now, he said, is what the portfolios will look like and what their content will be, stressing that the support does not mean a blank cheque for the next European Commission, which von der Leyen is due to present after the summer.
Another Czech MEP from the ECR, Alexandr Vondra, made similar comments but did not reveal if he supported her or not.
“I will keep my choice to myself until the vote on the whole Commission in the autumn. Only that vote will be decisive,” Vondra (ODS, ECR) wrote on the social network X.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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