A scene during the speech by Ursula von der Leyen this Wednesday in the European Parliament says a lot. About what she expects. And about what the deputies expect.
Von der Leyen, therefore, has been standing for seven minutes before the parliament, the last speech before the vote. Once again, there is an appeal to MEPs to confirm them and their new EU Commission.
For weeks she had to fight to bring her 26 team members through the parliament, three remained on the track. The procedure took a month longer than planned.
Now the Leyen is finally on the finish line. "We're ready," she calls to the plenary in Strasbourg and turns on her spotlight beams. "Europe is ready." Her message is simple: "Let's get to work!"
Ideally, stormy applause breaks out in such places. Instead, nothing happens, then some MPs clap, then some more. Quickly, von der Leyen continues her speech. It will not be the only moment of this kind at the appearance of the 61-year-olds.
"The mood was not overwhelming"
61 percent of the deputies have been new to parliament since the European elections in summer, of which Leyen calls for a "new start in Europe". But there is no magic in this beginning, at least not at this moment in the European Parliament. This has also been noted in the Leyens camp.
"The mood was not overwhelming," admits Daniel Caspary, head of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, after the speech. "Parliament is just tired." The European elections and the long hearing process had consumed the forces.
In doing so, von der Leyen picks up all the important points in her speech, but also wants to make everything right - almost as if she feared losing too many important voices at the last minute due to too loud announcements.
- Climate protection, for example, is declared by the Leyen to be an "existential theme for Europe and the world": "Venice is under water, Portugal's forests are burning, Lithuania's harvest is halved by drought." You have "not a moment to lose" in the fight against climate change. However, there are no impositions, instead new jobs, new technologies, new markets. "And people also need affordable, clean and safe energy."
- The same is true of the migration issue: "The EU will always grant protection to those who need international protection," stresses von der Leyen - and hastens to add that all others must be sent home as soon as possible.
It is a remarkably cautious appearance.
In July, when she was elected Commission President, the CDU woman was even more decisive in the House - and then received a gossip of nine votes. Maybe that's why she's trying not to step on anyone's feet.
After 42 minutes, the speech is over. Von der Leyen's Commissioners and the Christian Democrat EPP Group rise to applause, including Frans Timmermans, now a very bearded Commission vice, who would also have liked Leyen's job and sat next to his future boss with a stony expression throughout the speech.
All others in plenary sit.
Then the result: 461 out of 707 votes cast, a whopping 65 percent. Von der Leyen shines again, but this time visibly relieved. The result is much better than most expected in the European Parliament. Even in their own party they had expected at best with 420 to 430 votes.
A new informal coalition is emerging
Von der Leyen can hope that this will facilitate their work in the future, because the search for majorities for legislative proposals of the Commission will be much trickier than for von Leyen's predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker. He had it relatively easy, especially in the first half of his term, as his friend, Socialist Group leader Martin Schulz, organized the majorities in an informal grand coalition with EPP leader Manfred Weber.
PATRICK SEEGER / EPA-EFE / REX
A new informal coalition is now at least hinting: it could consist of social and Christian Democrats and liberals in the future. A kind of coalition committee is already planned, in which the leaders of the three political groups will meet regularly with the three commissions of the European Commission Timmermans, Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis. The three groups together make up 444 of the 751 members.
But the harmony could soon go away when it comes to the matter. Not only with climate change and migration, also with other topics threatens violent arguments.
- So are the negotiations for the next seven-year budget of the EU, and this time not only about the dear money, which would be reason enough for dispute. According to the donors' wishes, the payment of funds should also be linked to the observance of constitutional standards, which Hungary and Poland in particular want to prevent.
- Foreign trade threatens new conflicts with the US and China.
- Within the EU, the Leyen has to do with a stuttering Franco-German engine and France's enormously self-confident President Emmanuel Macron.
- And then there is the Brexit : Even if Britain should now leave the EU as planned on January 31, the next drama threatens soon. The transitional period ends on 31 December, and should Brussels and London fail to conclude a trade agreement in record time by then, there is once again a risk of a chaotic relapse on WTO trade rules. The extension of the transition phase must also be decided in the summer - and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejects such an extension.
Boring, so much is certain, it is not for von der Leyen.