Von der Leyen’s rocky road back to the Berlaymont

By Max Griera | @MaxGriera

While it is expected that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce her bid next week to be the European People’s Party (EPP) lead candidate in the EU elections, the road to a second stint in the Berlaymont is not expected to be smooth.

It is an open secret in Brussels that von der Leyen will likely kickstart her re-election campaign during a CDU party meeting in Berlin next Monday (19 February), just two days ahead of the official deadline to join the race.

It will be the perfect occasion to rally her troops for the EU elections in June, and her words will be closely scrutinised, especially as she still needs to garner enough support to be formally elected during the EPP’s Congress in Bucharest on 7 March.

To be able to run for the lead candidate post, she needs support from two other member parties besides her own CDU.

As Euractiv reported last month, rumours in the corridors of Brussels suggest that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy are likely to endorse her.

While no other candidates are expected and she will likely be uncontested, the two main remaining hurdles between her and the top job will be the election results – and the will of 27 EU leaders.

Ireland and Spain are seeking an “urgent review” of whether Israel is complying with human rights obligations under its trade agreement with the EU, according to a joint letter seen by Euractiv.

Eighteen out of 31 NATO countries will spend more than the required 2% of GDP on defence in 2024, according to estimates presented by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, days after US presidential candidate Donald Trump criticised the alliance for under-investing.

The EU is getting more dependent on China in its quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and switch to green technologies, the EU’s climate chief Wopke Hoekstra warned, adding it is becoming “problematic” going forward.

The co-president of the Greens/EFA European parliamentary group, Philippe Lamberts, rebuked recent warnings by the head of Belgium’s central bank that the green transition will make Europe poorer, saying that anyone who does not see the transition as a matter of survival should give the floor to “more serious people”.

The Greek Orthodox Church asked lawmakers on Wednesday to hold a roll-call vote on the same-sex marriage bill, a sensitive issue that has sparked an intense debate in the country and divided the ruling conservative New Democracy party.

French police found that Alexandre Benalla, a former top aide to Emmanuel Macron, was involved in businesses that struck private security deals with Russian oligarchs and personally benefitted from some of the proceeds – including when he still worked at the Elysée.

Still in France: Former president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of illegal campaign financing by the Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday (14 February), and given a one-year prison sentence.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is looking to expand its tasks by turning to critical minerals, welcoming new members and boosting its focus on Asia with a new office in Singapore.

For more policy news, check out this week’s Green Brief and the Health Brief.

Look out for…

• Commissioner Didier Reynders in Bulgaria on Thursday, meets with PM Nikolai Denkov, presents 2023 Rule of Law report.
• Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas delivers keynote speech at opening of Munich Cyber Security Conference on Thursday.
• Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers (research and innovation) on Wednesday-Thursday.

Views are the author’s

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]