The composition of the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen has finally passed the crucial negotiation stages. Owls, behind-the-scenes fans and supporters of the rejection of Giorgia Meloni’s candidate for Vice President were defeated. Raffaele Fitto and Teresa Ribera, despite the controversy, will be confirmed in the role they chose for the President of the Commission.
The ratification of their roles by the European Parliament will take place this evening. The agreement was reached after long, normal negotiations. Then the Commission as a whole will receive the “confidence” from the European Chamber on 27 November and will officially be in office from 1 December.
In the end, the agreement was signed by the same parliamentary groups that form the “Ursula majority”. So Ppe, liberals and Renew. In short, no openness to the ECR, as some boasted. In reality, the entry of the patriots into the majority was never in question, so much so that neither FdI nor Giorgia Meloni voted to support Ursula. But the political positions in Strarbourg are one thing, the role that Italy has as a founding country is another. The two floors are close, but not superimposable. The party of the prime minister of a state may not support the Commission but the country is still entitled by right to appoint a Commissioner, in the case of Italy of importance. Complete with vice-presidency. It is no coincidence that Sergio Mattarella, Romano Prodi and even Mario Monti had mobilized for Fitto.
He took care of defending Fitto in the negotiations Ppewith the group leader Weber convinced that we can work well with Meloni and FdI. In exchange, the PSE obtained a programmatic document from the “Ursula majority” which expressly excludes the entry of the ECR in the majority. It changes little. In the sense that in the European Parliament it often happens that the Groups then mix up based on the votes that gradually arise: it is not anomalous that even within the same group the parliamentarians of different States vote in a distinct way, imagine what can happen within a coalition as diverse as the one supporting Ursula von der Leyen.
Obviously there is no shortage of discontent among socialists. Who, however, if they didn’t want to see “their” Ribera rejected, had no choice but to bite the bullet. Only this morning Schlein, with some embarrassment, explained that the dem’s objective was to “restart the engines” of the pro-European majority “who voted for President von der Leyen in July”. “We want to clarify the majority that supports this commission – he explained – we are not the problem and neither were the names or delegations. The problem is political. Because since the beginning of this mandate the People’s Party have on two occasions not voted with von der Leyen’s majority but with the nationalist right”. The Democratic Party tried to pull the rope, but it didn’t break. And certainly the Democrats could not fail to follow the indications received from Colle.
There are also strong grumbles from the Greens, who reserve the right to vote for the Commission or not. In the end, the Hungarian commissioner Varhalyi will also be promoted, but his responsibilities will be taken away pandemic management and for the protection of reproductive rights to the designated commissioner Oliver Vahrelyi, moved instead to the Belgian Hadja Lahbib.
TheVermilion.com is also on Whatsapp. Simply click here to subscribe to the channel and always be updated (free).
The article In the end Fitto is there: he will be vice president, the Democratic Party must bite the bullet comes from Nicola Porro.