On Wednesday, 370 members of the European Parliament endorsed a new right-leaning European Commission, composed of 26 commissioners—one from each EU member state, with Ursula von der Leyen included as president—set to serve a five-year term beginning December 1.
The proposal faced notable opposition, with 282 MEPs voting against and 36 abstaining. The distribution of roles within the Commission highlights the political dynamics in play. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP), despite setbacks in June’s election, secured 14 commissioner positions, including the presidency. The liberals, known as Renew Europe, claimed five slots, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) took four, while the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) landed one.
Although the Commission received more approval votes than the confirmation of von der Leyen’s presidency in June, it still marks the least parliamentary support for a Commission since 1993, the year the European Parliament was granted voting power over commissioner appointments.
Since September, President von der Leyen has meticulously assembled her team to strengthen her influence in EU policymaking. She appointed six executive vice presidents—Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, Romania’s Roxana Mînzatu, France’s Stéphane Séjourné, Spain’s Teresa Ribera, and Finland’s Henna Virkkunen—to oversee the work of the regular commissioners.
However, one appointment sparked controversy. The inclusion of Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, a prominent figure from the right-wing ECR, as one of the vice presidents provoked backlash from both the S&D and the Renew Europe group. These factions criticized von der Leyen and the EPP for granting a leadership role to the far-right, further stoking tensions within the European Parliament.
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