Habemus presidentem: With 401 votes in favour, the European Parliament has reconfirmed Ursula von der Leyen as the president of the European Commission. This vote was not a given. Unable to rely on the support of the super grand coalition of conservatives, social democrats, and liberals alone, von der Leyen went out of her way to secure Green votes in particular. She promised not only to push forward with the implementation of the Green Deal, but also to expand it with an ambitious 2040 climate target, a climate adaptation strategy, a circular and bio-economy action plan, and an industrial decarbonisation acceleration act. The Greens also received an additional committee chair in the European Parliament, and there are chances the new Commission will have a Green commissioner. It paid off. It was the Green vote in particular that carried the day and got her to the finish line.

The vote for von der Leyen is also a vote for the stability of the European Union, and confirms a four-group democratic majority in the European Parliament. In the midst of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, Chinese sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, and the growing spectre of a Trump 2.0 presidency, the European Union cannot afford further internal disarray. It is already grappling with a rogue Hungarian EU Council Presidency, an uncertain French government, and a lack of leadership in Germany.

The EU top-jobs trio of von der Leyen, Costa, and Kallas is a strong one. It will need to be. Key defining issues for the next European Commission will include strengthening green industrial competitiveness, boosting European defence and defending multilateralism, and the reform and enlargement of the EU.

The next key date on the European institutional schedule will be the hearings of the Commissioners-designate, planned for autumn 2024. In this context, we will be presenting a range of analyses, including:

• A series of policy papers from our headquarters in Berlin, which highlight what reforms the EU needs to undertake in order to be fit for enlargement
• A Green Deal Risk Radar, that shows where opposition forces might try to water down the Green Deal
• A policy brief on how the EU can strengthen its defence industry and parliamentary oversight in the context of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.  

So stay tuned! In the meantime, I invite you to listen to our podcast with Bas Eickhout, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the EP, on what role the Greens want to play this parliamentary term, read this interview with our Paris office director, Marc Berthold, on the French elections, and check out our “Europe after the EP 2024 elections” dossier, as well as our latest analysis on what Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, wants.

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable summer!

Warm regards,

Böll·Europe Podcast #15
After the EP election: What’s next for the EU and the Greens?

The European Parliament elections might be over, but that doesn’t mean that the constellation of power in the EU is all set in stone. In this Böll·Europe Podcast episode, we’re looking at what the European election result means for the EU and the future of the European Green Deal, how the Greens in the European Parliament are doing, what their priorities are and whether the Greens just might be a new power broker that’s necessary for the conservatives, social democrats and liberals to hold a stable majority. Roderick Kefferpütz, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's EU office, discusses this with Bas Eickhout, long-standing Member of the European Parliament from the Dutch Greens, and Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group.

Listen on our website | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube 

The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung is a German political foundation affiliated with the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens). Its primary task is political education and advocacy in Germany and abroad. Our main tenets are ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, non-violence and justice. In our work, we place particular emphasis on gender democracy, equal rights for minorities and the political and social participation of migrants.

Our namesake, the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll, personifies the fundamental principles we stand for: defence of freedom and human dignity, civic courage, open debate and the acknowledgement of art and culture as independent spheres of thought and action. As a think tank for green visions and ideas, we are part of an international network with 34 offices worldwide and with partner projects in more than 60 countries.

The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union represents the foundation vis-à-vis European and international institutions, associations, non-governmental organisations and media based in Brussels. The office is a main point of contact for individuals, groups and organisations from around the world interested in EU politics and policies. The future of the European project and the role of the European Union in the world are at the centre of our activities and efforts.