PRESS RELEASE
Brussels
17 July 2019
The European Parliament has voted to elect Ursula von der Leyen as the new Commission President with a slim majority of just 9 votes.
Speaking after the vote, the European Green Party co-chairs Reinhard Bütikofer and Monica Frassoni said:
“Even though Greens did not vote for Ursula von der Leyen, we congratulate her on being elected Europe’s next Commission President. We are ready to work with her on the many difficult and urgent challenges ahead over the next 5 years.
“There were obviously manifest shortcomings in the way she was proposed as candidate. It is therefore all the more essential that the European Parliament will reinstate and strengthen this procedure so European elections do not fall into disrepute.
“Her pro-European message is welcome. How this will square with the fact that she had to rely on help from PiS and M5S for her majority remains to be seen. Greens were elected on an agenda for change and we will continue to abide by that pledge. Wherever the Commission President wants to be an ally for that, our door will remain open and we are willing to proactively work with the new Commission.
"The next challenge will be putting together a gender balanced Commission. We are fully willing to support Ms von der Leyen on that."
END
Paul Nolan
E paul.nolan@europeangreens.eu
M +32 475 94 69 81
T +32 2 626 07 26
European Green Party
Rue Wiertz 31, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
www.europeangreens.eu
