The majority that supported the reconfirmation of Ursula von der Leyen, which was based on the support of the Greens “is artificial and will not hold up”, with the populars who first criticized the Green Deal, then allowed the ecologists to become “the swing vote”. And instead the EPP should understand that if it wants to create a European center-right “it must seek support” on the right of the hemicycle and abandon the current alliance with the left to create a true “European center-right”. Paolo Borchia, head of the League delegation in the European Parliament, is convinced of this.
What changes with the reconfirmation of von der Leyen
Speaking to uisjournal.com, immediately after the vote of confidence that saw the green light for a second term for the German Popular Party, the Lega Nord member accuses the majority forces, and specifically the Popular Party, of having betrayed the will of the voters, but also their own promises. “The voters asked for a change of pace, they asked for discontinuity and change, while instead if we look at the map of the hemicycle we see that theoretically the centre-right, right-wing and conservative parties represent the majority of seats, while unfortunately we find ourselves with a president elected by an artificial, multi-coloured, heterogeneous majority that will be difficult to keep together”.
For Borchia “the striking numerical data is that the Greens have been determined in these re-elections and this makes us ask many questions. In recent weeks, the People’s Party has heavily questioned the Green Deal, despite having voted for 34 of the measures that made it up. In short, during the election campaign they had asked for a step back, while now the Greens have become the deciding factor”.
Ursula von der Leyen obtained the confidence vote with 401 votes, which are theoretically those of the alliance between populars, liberals and socialists, but in reality there were more than 50 snipers, with the Greens who rushed to the president’s aid. The League sits on the benches of the Patriots of Europe, the mega group promoted by the Hungarian Viktor Orban, with the Rassemblement National of Marine Le Pen and the League of Matteo Salvini. They are the third force in the Chamber by number of deputies, but a cordon sanitaire was erected against them that prevented them from electing the two vice-presidents that would have been due to them according to the d’Hont method, which divides the offices of the Chamber based on the weight of the groups. The same was not done with the Conservatives and Reformists of Giorgia Meloni, who obtained two vice-presidencies, one of which was precisely in FdI with Alessandra Sberna.
In fact, they have been granted more political flexibility and during the legislature they could, together with Forza Italia (popular), another government partner of the League in Italy, try to involve the Carroccio (and the Patriots) in the approval of at least some legislative measures. “Collaboration with everyone, the banks are welcome. But they are not the only necessary tool, in the sense that in the last 5 years we have demonstrated that, despite the conditions to which the majority has subjected us, we have had excellent political flexibility. As coordinator of the Industry commission, I was the rapporteur of three measures that all passed with a very large majority”.
The legislature is long, however, and anything can still happen, the delegation leader believes. “I don’t know what things could happen during the legislature, five years is a long time and if we look at the last five years, a lot of things have happened. We don’t rule anything out.” But, the Lega member concludes, “given the numbers that have emerged today, I think that if the European center-right wants to continue to be the European center-right, then I think they are the ones who should look for support on this side.”
