Von der Leyen courts Greens in bid for EU Parliament majority

4 months ago 12

Ursula von der Leyen started talks with the Greens on Monday (1 July), following negotiations with Socialists and Liberals, as she enters the third stage of her campaigning to get the Commission presidency for a second term: winning over Parliament.

After von der Leyen’s political family, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), won a majority of seats in the June Parliament elections, she secured her nomination from EU leaders last week.

Her reelection now enters the third phase, and she has begun to tap into the European Parliament delegation to secure the 361 votes she needs to be confirmed as Commission president in two weeks.

Negotiations started last week when von der Leyen visited the Liberal Renew Europe group’s President, Valérie Hayer, and the Socialists (S&D) group President, Iratxe García.

After the European Parliament ballots were counted, von der Leyen first looked to the centrist “platform” composed of the EPP, the Liberals and the Socialists, with around 400 seats combined.

But it might not be enough to secure the 361-seat majority, as national delegations within the three parties, including her own, may vote against her, such as France’s Les Républicains and Germany’s FDP.

“I will be reaching out to others,” she said on 28 June after the EU leaders’ nomination.

Crafting next term’s programme

Drawing from her own party priorities, the demands of Socialists and Liberals, and other potential partners, von der Leyen will develop a policy programme—the so-called “political guidelines”—ahead of her confirmation vote, which is expected on 18 July during the first plenary in Strasbourg.

EPP, S&D, and Renew are all drafting their wish lists this week during group meetings, with the bulk of negotiations expected next week. EPP has already made it known that they request policy changes on competitiveness, externalisation of migration, and climate regulation.

Meanwhile, von der Leyen has already reached out to the Greens, as the group’s Co-Presidents Bas Eickhout and Terry Reintke paid a visit to the Commission’s headquarters, the Berlaymont, on Monday evening. The Greens hrepeatedly ave made it cdly, that they are available to compromise to be part of von der Leyen’s majority.

“The talk was about: can the Greens be part of a majority?” Eickhout told Euractiv after the meeting.

“We concluded that there are many points where we could really come closer to each other,” Eickhout said, pointing to “not backtracking on the Green Deal,” climate neutrality, climate adaptation, rule of law, and industrial policy.

“Of course, we need to get into the details which we haven’t discussed,” he added.

However, bringing the Greens into the negotiations may cause some discomfort among EPP members, especially as some delegations see them as unreliable partners.

What about Meloni?

It remains to be seen whether von der Leyen reaches out to the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, uniting Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS), and Italian Prime minister’s Fratelli d’Italia, with whom the Socialist and a number of Liberals are reluctant to collaborate.

All eyes are on ECR, especially after EPP-affiliated Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Forza Italia) said his political family had to work with ECR, his coalition partner in Rome.

Von der Leyen repeated during her campaign that her three red lines for collaboration with any party remain pro-Ukraine, pro-European, and upholding the rule of law.

She has previously affirmed that Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia would be an acceptable partner but has remained silent on the rest of ECR.

As ECR gathers in Sicily this week for the group’s study days – to draw priorities and demands for the next term – a meeting with them is likely to take place next week.

However, Socialists, Liberals, and Greens have said multiple times along the campaign trail they would not back von der Leyen for a second term if she reached out to Meloni and ECR.

Sources at The Left indicate von der Leyen will meet with the group in Strasbourg during the plenary.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alice Taylor]