Government to support Ursula von der Leyen as candidate for EU presidency

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The Government is to support the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that a “high-level” agreement had been reached between three political groupings in Europe in the wake of the EU elections in June.

As a result, Ms von der Leyen will emerge as the European Council’s single candidate for European Commission president.

Under the EU’s complicated division of powers, the presidents and prime ministers get to nominate the next head of the bloc’s powerful executive branch, the European Commission, which is responsible for drawing up EU policy on everything from climate to the colossal shared budget.

Under the EU’s treaties, their choice should take into account the results of the election.

Ms von der Leyen looks likely to stay on as president for another five years after a strong showing for her centre-right European People’s Party parliamentary group.

This is despite being deeply unpopular in some corners of the EU Parliament, where she will need the support of 361 of the 720 legislators to hold on to her job.

In the 2019 vote on whether to approve her as president, she won just nine votes more than the required threshold.

Ms von der Leyen has also been criticised in Ireland for her handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict following the October 7th attack, which has led to calls for Irish government MEPs not to support her bid for a second term.

Asked whether he would be urging his party’s four MEPs to vote for Ms von der Leyen, Fianna Fáil leader Mr Martin said further discussions would need to take place before the vote in July.

“We’ll take it step by step. I think in the first instance, Government will be supporting the candidature of Ursula von der Leyen,” he said.

“Ursula von der Leyen will emerge as the single candidate from the EU Council for president of the Commission.”

He said it would be some time after that before a vote is held in the European Parliament and that “there will be ongoing engagement and discussions with a number of parties in that respect”.

After his re-election to Ireland South, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher said he would not support Ms von der Leyen.

“I’ve been very clear throughout this election, I’ve stated it in advance of the election, I’ve stated it during the election, I’m stating it after the election, that I will not be supporting the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen.”

Asked about who Ireland would be proposing as its EU commissioner for this term, Mr Martin said he would discuss with the other two coalition party leaders on Monday.

The proposed candidate, widely reported to be Finance Minister Michael McGrath, will be brought before Cabinet on Tuesday.