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Europe’s last stand
Von der Leyen faces colossal challenges, writes Die Presse:
“We can only wish her luck. Because this Commission is one of the last chances she will have. If she fails to fulfil her promises of more economic dynamism, a robust security policy and climate justice, the 2029 European elections could be a bloodbath for the unification project. Europe’s degeneration into a Disneyland of its own faded grandeur would then be virtually unstoppable. Does this team have what it takes to shape ‘a future of freedom for Europe’ by ensuring greater security and prosperity? … Do the national governments want a strong EU? This question will determine Europe’s future.”
1 – 0 for Italy
The firewall has shifted to the right, observes La Vanguardia:
“It was a total triumph for the Italian prime minister, who despite her earlier manoeuvres against von der Leyen has now become one of her key allies. … Pedro Sánchez, who had campaigned for the firewall against the far right, had to watch as his MEPs voted for Fitto. The compensation was that Teresa Ribera became vice president. … The only ones who were excluded were the members of the Patriots for Europe group which includes the supporters of Viktor Orbán, Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal. Meloni’s level of conservatism has become the new European borderline benchmark.”
Shameless pact with the far right
Le Soir is particularly critical of the EPP:
“Although all three groups in the coalition are responsible for the vile horse-trading and the disastrous image that has been projected in recent weeks, the original sin lies with the EPP, which made a shameless pact with the far right. By offering Giorgia Meloni another stepping stone to power, Manfred Weber and Ursula von der Leyen have helped to normalise an extremist party and set a dangerous precedent. And this is likely to be repeated in the near future because the EPP leader defines ‘his’ majority as an arc stretching ‘from the Greens to the ECR’.”
More right-wing than ever
Parliament is no longer fulfilling its role as a democratic supervisory body, criticises the taz:
“The MEPs didn’t fail a single commissioner in the hearings, even though many simply read off speech notes. That’s never happened before. It’s also outrageous that Fitto was waved through as part of a ‘package solution’. Some parliamentarians did opt out, for example the German SPD MEPs didn’t vote in favour of the new Commission, and some Greens abstained. However, the Greens’ leadership flip-flopped and said ‘yes’ in the end. Now it has a credibility problem. The new Commission not only stands for a shift to the right in Europe but also for a softer, industry-friendly climate policy and a hard line on migration.”
Baltic politicians in key positions
Postimees expresses satisfaction with the new line-up:
“It’s to be expected that the Commission won’t give the Baltic states a raw deal, because Balts will occupy key positions. Andrius Kubilius from Lithuania is commissioner for defence and space, and is already working on the European defence white paper. Valdis Dombrovskis from Latvia is the commissioner for the economy and productivity, while Kaja Kallas from Estonia is vice president of the European Commission and high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy. … One can only conclude that our region is very well represented in the Commission.”
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