MEPs to vote on Von der Leyen's new EU Commission

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces a stern test at the European Parliament in Strasbourg with MEPs voting on whether or not to accept her new team of 26 Commissioners.

If approved by a simple majority, the new commission will take office on 1 December.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs will vote in favour of the new commission, while Sinn Féin is expected to vote against.

This has been an intense and highly charged process, one given further urgency by the victory of Donald Trump in America.

The German commission President was endorsed for a second term by EU leaders in June and won a majority of votes in the European Parliament in July.

The vote later follows detailed committee hearings into the suitability of the other 26 commission nominees.

However, given the surge in support for populist and far right parties in the June European elections, the balance of power has shifted in the European Parliament.

Ms von der Leyen’s centre-right political grouping, the European People’s Party, has had to court the harder right European Conservatives and Reformists.

That in turn has dismayed the other pro-European parties, such as the socialists, the liberal Renew group and the Greens, who are, to varying degrees, split on whether or not to support the new commission.

The far left and far right groups have said they will vote against Ms von der Leyen’s team

It’s thought she will have enough votes to get through, meaning her new team - including Ireland’s Michael McGrath - will take office on 1 December.

The challenges facing her second term are considerable.

Read more: McGrath confirmed as European Commissioner for Justice after three-hour long hearing

From wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to the mounting economic threat from China, the EU has its hands full.

Ensuring a swift handover at the helm following European elections in June is seen as critical and the new team should formally start its mandate on Sunday.

"It's simply time to get work," said Manfred Weber, head of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), the largest group in parliament.

Weapons and tariffs

Estonia's ex-premier Kaja Kallas is to take over the reins as the 27-nation bloc's top diplomat, while Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius landed a new role overseeing the EU's push to rearm.

Both are hawkish Russia critics.

Ms von der Leyen had previously said the EU needs to invest €500b on defence over the next decade if it wants to keep up with Russia and China.

This has become more urgent since Mr Trump was re-elected this month, amid fears he might reduce the US commitment to European security and support for Ukraine.

Similarly, trade policy - under Maros Sefcovic of Slovakia, a seasoned Brussels operative - has shot up the agenda as the commission will contend with a tariff-loving US president who could push for the EU to buy more American products or face higher duties.

Stephane Sejourne of France is to take charge of industrial strategy at a time when Europe's manufacturing sector is struggling amid competition from China, high energy costs and weak investments.

The former French foreign minister will have to work hand-in-hand with Spain's Teresa Ribera, the new competition and green transition chief, to reconcile economic growth with climate ambitions.

Hands on chief

Front and centre, however, will be Ms von der Leyen.

The former German defence minister has significantly "strengthened her power and her profile as a political actor" over the past five years, said Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform think tank.

She has weeded out commissioners she did not see eye to eye with, like France's Thierry Breton, and benefited from a political alignment that has seen countries fill her new team with fellow conservatives.

In her first term, she also pushed the boundaries of what the EU can and is expected to do, something observers say may come in handy in the future.

Under her leadership, the commission has shepherded efforts to purchase Covid-19 vaccines, use joint borrowing to finance post-pandemic economic recovery, ship weapons to Ukraine and wean Europe off Russian gas.

The incoming commission "is facing more threats", Ylva Johansson, the outgoing commissioner for home affairs said, noting the geopolitical environment has changed dramatically since 2019.

But the EU's executive is now "much more operational than five years ago," she said.

"That is also thanks to the personality of Ursula von der Leyen - because she's very hands-on."

Additional reporting AFP