pic: bbc.com
Ursula von der Leyen, the leading candidate for the presidency of the EU commission job, outlined her plan for the EU during her reign.
Er, command.
No, her presidency…
” We want multilateralism, we want fair trade, we defend the rules-based order because we know it is better for all of us. We have to do it the European way. But if we are to go down the European path, we must first rediscover our unity. If we are united on the inside, nobody will divide us from the outside. ” ( http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-19-4230_en.htm)
von der Leyen also stated she wants to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2030, and that this was something that the EU countries needed to do together. She will also be putting forward a “green deal for Europe” within her first 100 days.
Other key phrases were “Sustainable Europe Investment Bank,” “Climate Bank,” “Carbon Border Tax,” and “Just Transition Fund.” Also mentioned were “Stability and Growth Pact, fair taxes, minimum wages, Youth Guarantee, Child Guarantee, “full gender equality in my College of Commissioners” and and a wish to “add violence against women on the list of EU crimes defined in the Treaty.”
Really, you should read her speech.
The vote on her presidency is due to take place at 4pm Swedish time today. There are no other real candidates, but in order to have solid legitimacy she needs to win over more than a token amount of votes from the Social Democrats, who would rather have had Frans Timmermans. She might not be a complete shoo-in, but her not winning would indicate a serious revolt on the part of the EU Parliament, who wants to have the major say in who gets the job. When the EU commission instead decided to back their own candidate, von der Leyen, there were many aggrieved and angry faces.
Still, we can pretty much expect to say European Commission President von der Leyen soon.