EU lawmakers overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to give conservative Maltese politician Roberta Metsola another term as president of the European Parliament, in the first crunch vote on the EU’s top jobs after elections in June.
Metsola won a massive majority with 562 votes as the 720-seat parliament met for its first session in Strasbourg, France, with new MEPs.
Metsola belongs to the biggest political group in the European parliament, the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), and has been in the role since 2022.
“This must be a strong parliament in a strong union,” Metsola insisted.
“We must be the ones who push the legislation that our people want and need.”
She later vowed to address the problems facing EU citizens including Europe’s “looming” housing crisis and promised to implement “proper” migration legislation.
“We will leave Europe a better place by creating a new security and defense framework that keeps people safe,” Metsola said.
But all eyes will be on Thursday’s vote when lawmakers decide whether to give von der Leyen another five years as commission chief.
Since EU leaders struck a hard-fought deal on her candidacy in late June, von der Leyen has been scrambling to win over lawmakers in the main political groups.
It could be a tight race. The polyglot German won by only nine votes in 2019.
“She needs to walk a fine line to get the support of different groups in the European Parliament,” said Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director of the European Policy Centre think tank.
The far-right Patriots are a red line for the centrist coalition.
(with AFP)
Read also:
Far right to seek greater influence in EU parliament
Far-right gains jolt France but European centrist bloc holds in EU vote