Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Over 13 million worshipers pray at Rawdah Sharif in a year    Pope Francis laid to rest at historic funeral in Rome    Massive explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port injures over 500 people    Russia claims full control of Kursk region after ousting Ukrainian forces    Former US congressman George Santos sentenced to over 7 years for fraud and identity theft    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ursula von der Leyen elected to second term as European Commission president
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 07 - 2024

Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected to a second five-year term as president of the European Commission after a vote by EU lawmakers, as the continent's mainstream seeks to reassert itself in the face of a resurgent far right.
In an earlier pitch to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen on Thursday pledged to invest in infrastructure and industry, create a new "European Defense Union" and stay the course on the continParliamentent's green transition.
After a secret ballot, von der Leyen was reelected with 401 votes in favor and 284 against. She needed more than 360 ballots to secure a majority in the 720-seat parliament.
Von der Leyen, who led the commission through the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will now preside over a bloc that shifted rightward after last month's European elections, when far-right parties won a record number of seats.
Addressing the parliament before the lunchtime vote, von der Leyen said the next five years of her term "will define Europe's place in the world for the next five decades. It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others."
Von der Leyen, a 65-year-old German national, was parachuted into the presidential candidacy process as a compromise candidate in 2019, but has since become one of Europe's most solid pillars. Several of the continent's other leaders – from Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel to French President Emmanuel Macron – have retired or been weakened by domestic politics.
Von der Leyen's own position was somewhat diminished by last month's election, which saw a surge in support for the far right and saw Brussels' center ground shrink.
Her reelection was not certain but widely expected, after she was proposed by EU leaders and could rely on the support of her center-right European People's Party (EPP), as well as the center-left Socialist and Democrats (S&D) and liberal Renew blocs. Shortly before Thursday's vote, the Green bloc also announced it would support her.
After the vote, von der Leyen said her reelection was "a very emotional and special moment" and that she was grateful for the trust the parliament had placed in her.
"We have spared no effort. We have navigated the most troubled waters that our union has ever faced. And we have kept the course on our long-term European goals," she said, praising the work done under her first term.
Earlier Thursday, von der Leyen published a 31-page policy proposal, setting out her priorities if she won a second term.
Echoing remarks she made after last month's vote, she stressed "it is essential that the democratic center in Europe holds" in the face of resurgent extremes, calling on mainstream parties to "live up to the scale of the concerns and the challenges that people face in their lives."
Von der Leyen pledged to "turbo charge investment" needed by cash-strapped EU governments for their "green, digital and social transition."
She also vowed to create a European Defense Union and appoint a commissioner for defense, a new role for the bloc that was forged in peacetime but has since had to respond to Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, and the prospect of a Donald Trump-led United States retreating from the world stage.
Under the proposed new defense union, member states will retain responsibility for their own troops, but will work more closely with others to "coordinate efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base." She also proposed a Europe-wide air defense system and cyber protection measures.
Speaking in Strasbourg before her reelection, von der Leyen said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's recent trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was "an appeasement mission," and pledged to maintain EU support for Ukraine.
Von der Leyen's reelection comes a day after the EU's second-highest court delivered an unusual rebuke to the commission, ruling it was not transparent enough about the contracts it signed for Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic. — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.