European parliament approves von der Leyen's second term as EU Commission head

Strasbourg: The European Parliament on Thursday approved Germany's Ursula von der Leyen's bid for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission.

Von der Leyen garnered 401 votes in the 720-seat chamber, exceeding the majority required to maintain her position as the head of the EU's executive body. In the secret ballot, 284 members voted against her.

Earlier on Thursday, von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament, outlining her priorities for the next five years.

She committed to continuing the European Green Deal, a key policy from her first term, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. She pledged to reduce emissions by 90 percent by 2040 and announced substantial investments in infrastructure and industry, particularly in energy-intensive sectors.

"This will help create lead markets in everything from clean steel to clean tech," said von der Leyen in her statement.

Her climate commitments won her crucial backing from Green lawmakers, who were previously uncertain about supporting her, reports Xinhua news agency.

Von der Leyen also urged for increased investment across various sectors in Europe, including farming, industry, digital technologies, and strategic technologies. She called for the completion of the Capital Markets Union and the mobilization of more private financing.

Highlighting that 300 billion euros (327.36 billion US dollars) of European savings are directed to foreign markets annually due to a fragmented capital market, she said, "This has to change," proposing a European Savings and Investments Union to support start-ups and promote domestic growth.

Additionally, she reaffirmed the need for investing in security and defense. "Our spending on defense is too low and ineffective. Our foreign spending is too great. We must therefore create a single market for defense. We must invest more in high-end defense capabilities."

Not all reactions were positive to von der Leyen's speech. Ewa Zajaczkowska, a lawmaker from Poland, criticised the Commission president-elect, calling her previous election a "huge mistake" and claiming that the European Green Deal is damaging the European economy and agriculture.

In the next step, von der Leyen will send official letters to the heads of state or government of the EU's 27 member states, inviting them to put forward their candidates for European Commissioner posts.

Once the "College" is formed, it will face nominee hearings and a confirmation vote in the parliament after the summer. If approved, the 27 Commissioners are expected to take office and start their work.