The European Parliament has approved the new College of Commissioners, set to take office on 1 December. In a vote that took place in Strasbourg, Members of the European Parliament endorsed the new team presented by President von der Leyen with 370 votes in favour, 282 against, and 36 abstentions.

In her introduction speech, von der Leyen promised to focus on reviving the EU's stagnant economy, boosting competitiveness, cutting red tape, attracting investment and closing the innovation gap with the United States and China. Other key priorities for the new Commission include support for Ukraine, strengthening defence, migration management, enlargement, climate action, budget reform and the rule of law - that are all set to be shaped by the bloc's gradual shift to the right.

The vote count is noticeably smaller than the 401 votes that von der Leyen secured from the Parliament when she pitched her re-election in July. This reduced backing reflects a shrinking majority, with fewer progressives and more right-wing forces.

She also outlined the first months of her new mandate, with seven initiatives expected in the first 100 days, including a Clean Industrial Deal, a White Paper on European Defence, an AI Factories initiative, a Cybersecurity Action Plan for Health Infrastructure, a vision for Agriculture and Food, the enlargement policy reviews, and the Youth Policy Dialogues to be organised by each Commissioner in order to give a stronger voice to the next generation of Europeans.

The President ended by highlighting the importance of cooperation between the EU institutions: “Over the next five years, European unity will be absolutely critical. I cannot stress this enough (…) This is why we need the tightest cooperation between the Commission, the Parliament and the Council. It is the partnership that Europe needs—and deserves. My team and I are fully committed to this.”

Challenges during the Commissioner's hearings

The path to appointing the new Commission was a challenging one, marked by intense political disputes during the confirmation hearings.

The European People’s Party (EPP), spurred by Spain’s Partido Popular (PP), launched a strong campaign against Teresa Ribera, Commissioner for Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition. They framed her as responsible for the response to the Valencia flash floods. Ribera, who until recently served in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's cabinet, fought back, arguing the management of natural disasters is the task of the regional government, which in Valencia is under the PP's control.

The Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe criticized the appointment of Raffaele Fitto as Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms. They expressed concerns about his ties to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, warning this appointment risks normalizing far-right politics.

Socialists and Liberals also opposed Olivér Várhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare) for his close connection to Hungary's Viktor Orbán and his long track of controversies, including an infamous episode in which Várhelyi was caught in an open mic referring to some MEPs as "idiots."

Despite these controversies, the new Commission is now ready to move forward with its ambitious agenda.