Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second term as President of the European Commission, the highest executive body of the European Union. In a secret vote held in the European Parliament, 401 deputies supported her, while 284 voted against her. She needed 361 votes to win.
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A debate was held before the vote, during which Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the priorities for the next five years. Her main promises are to reduce bureaucracy, attract new investments, and continue supporting Ukraine.
"We must also invest more in our security and defense. Russia is still on the offensive in East Ukraine. They are banking on a war of attrition, on making the next winter even harsher than the last.Russia is banking on Europe and the West going soft. And some, in Europe, are playing along," von der Leyen said.
She criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his meeting with Putin in Moscow and noted that this so-called peace mission was nothing more than a pacification mission.
"Only two days later, Putin's jets aimed their missiles at a children's hospital and maternity ward in Kyiv. We all saw the images of children covered in blood, and mothers trying to bring young cancer patients to safety. That strike was not a mistake. It was a message. A chilling message from the Kremlin to all of us. So, Honourable Members, our answer has to be just as clear.
No one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. A just and lasting peace for a free and independent country. And Europe will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," von der Leyen said.
The President of the European Commission also spoke about supporting candidate countries for EU membership, and she mentioned Georgia in this context.
"Our neighbourhood is home to our future. Inviting countries into our Union is a moral, a historical and a political responsibility. It is an enormous geostrategic responsibility for Europe. Because in today's world a larger Union will be a stronger Union. It will strengthen our voice in the world. It will help reduce our dependencies. And it will ensure that democracy, prosperity and stability spread across Europe.
We will support candidates, by working on investment and reforms and integrating them where we can into our legal frameworks. Accession will always be a merit-based process. And we will ensure that all countries are ready, before joining. But completing our Union is also in our core interest. And it will be a core priority for my Commission. History is calling once again. The
Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have made their free choice. They have chosen freedom over oppression. They have chosen democracy over dependency. And some of them are paying a high price for this choice. So we must make our choice, and show steadfast commitment. Their future will be free and prosperous, inside our Union."
Ursula von der Leyen has been the President of the European Commission since 2019. She was the leading candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament elections held on June 6-9.
