• EU Commission, Parliament's vote on von der Leyen on Tuesday
  • Von der Leyen: "I will fight for minimum wages in each country"
  • EU nominations, there is an agreement: Ursula Von der Leyen president of the Commission

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16 July 2019Ursula von der Leyen was elected president of the European Commission with 383, 9 votes more than the 374 needed. Against 327 MEPs, abstained 22, a white card. They voted 733 MEPs. The German is the first woman to fill this role. The current Minister of Defense succeeds Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker, whose mandate expires on 31 October.

The 14 votes of the Five Star Movement were decisive for the election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the Commission. The wait, considered a good part of the Socialists, all the liberals and all the PPe had declared their support to the German candidate, was that von der Leyen came to touch the 400 votes. But the secret vote has instead upset the forecasts, the snipers have made themselves heard and the German minister has passed only for nine reject votes. Without the support of the 14 members of the M5S, von der Leyen would have been rejected by the European Parliament.

The MEPs will evaluate the competences of the new commissioners in the hearings that will take place the first week of October, then the new European commission will have to receive the investiture of the European Parliament in Strasbourg in the plenary session between 21 and 24 October.

"My job starts now"
"I feel very honored I am overwhelmed, the trust you place in me puts you back in Europe, a strong and united Europe from east to west, from north to south, ready to fight for the future instead of against itself. task I will have to face weighs on me and my work starts now ". Thus Ursula von der Leyen, after her election. "I thank all the members of the European Parliament who have decided to vote for me, but my message is we work together constructively," he added.

"In democracy the majority is the majority". Thus Ursula von der Leyen after the vote in Strasbourg. "It was necessary to work with political groups to convince them and formulate work programs for the next five years and I am extremely happy that after two weeks we managed to form a pro-European majority. It is a good basis to start with," he added.

Conte: "Encouraging start"
"The election of the President of the European Commission is an encouraging start. But it is only the beginning. We appreciate President von der Leyen's programmatic proposals towards a Europe that is finally more united, more respectful of the environment and safer than to illegal trafficking and illegal migration ". This is what is read in a note by the premier Giuseppe Conte who adds: "The path of the new European Commission towards a Europe closer to the needs of citizens, more just and more democratic will be successful if it can count on the commitment of all European institutions and those of the Member States On the Italian side it will certainly be able to count, aware of its role as a founding country of the European Union, Italy intends to do its part so that Europe can renew itself and return citizens to the center of its future".

Ursula von der Leyen quotes Simone Veil
Ursula von der Leyen, in her speech, before the election, snatches the first applause in the hall at the opening of her speech, recalling Simone Veil, the first female president of the European Parliament 40 years ago. "Forty years later, finally, a woman is again a candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission," said Von der Leyen, appointed to the presidency of the European executive. "They are thanks to all those who have broken down barriers and conventions and who have built a Europe based on peace, unity, and based on values".

I will be the enemy of those who want to weaken the European Union
"For me only one thing is important, Europe must be strengthened and those who want to make it flourish will have me on its side, but those who want to weaken this Europe will find me a harsh enemy". Thus Ursula von der Leyen before the European Parliament.

Arranged to guarantee Brexit extension
"I am prepared to guarantee a further extension of the withdrawal if more time is needed for valid reasons," said von der Leyen speaking of Brexit. "In any case, the United Kingdom will remain our ally, our partner and a friendly country," he added.

A European minimum wage
"I want to ensure that in a social market economy every full-time person can have a minimum wage that guarantees a dignified life." Thus Ursula von der Leyen. "The optimal option is to have collective bargaining with the unions because they can adjust the minimum wage to the sector and the sector. I know there are different models but we have to create a general framework".

Use all possible flexibility in the stability pact
"We must work within the framework of the stability and growth pact, we must use all the flexibility permitted by the rules", says the candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, adding that "the economy must be reconciled with the social" and that the economy must be at the service of people ".

If I don't have enough women I'll ask for new names
"There have been 183 commissioners and only 35 women since 1958. It is less than 20%: we represent half the population and we want our fair share. I will ensure that there is full gender equality in my commissaires' panel: if the states members will not offer me enough female commissioners, I will not hesitate to ask for new names, "says von der Leyen.

At sea there is an obligation to save lives, but irregular migration must be reduced
"The Mediterranean has become one of the deadliest borders in the world, there is an obligation to save lives at sea". Thus the candidate nominated by the Twenty-eight to the presidency of the European Commission, receiving applause. "The EU needs human borders, we must save lives, but we must reduce irregular migration, fight against smugglers". And "against organized crime, protecting the right to asylum and improving the condition of refugees, for example through humanitarian corridors in close cooperation with the UN".

Relieved not to have the support of the sovranisti
"I am relieved that I will not have his support, for me it is truly a reward for all I have done", says Ursula von der Leyen, addressing Alternative Fur Deutschland MEP Joerg Meuthen ("Identity and Democracy"). The ID group of the European Parliament's right-wing sovereignty, in which the Euro MPs and Rassemblement National of Marine Le Pen sit, had just announced with Meuthen his vote against the election of the candidate to the European Commission.