Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, secured the backing of the majority in the European Parliament for another five-year term as President of the European Commission. Her election was supported by all Croatian MEPs except Stephen Bartulica of the right-wing DP party.

The current Commission President secured 401 of the 707 votes. The parliamentary groups of Croatian MEPs, including those from the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists, and the Greens, had announced their support and urged their members to vote for von der Leyen, which they largely did.

Nicola Procaccini, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, to which Croatian MEP Stephen Nikola Bartulica belongs, announced after von der Leyen’s speech that the ECR allowed its members to decide freely how to vote according to their “national interests.”

During the inaugural plenary session of the 10th European Parliament, Bartulica had told Croatian media that he would not vote for von der Leyen. Other Croatian MEPs overcame their political differences to support her election.

European Parliament operates differently from Croatian Parliament

SDP MEP Tonino Picula noted that von der Leyen’s election by a larger-than-expected majority was “not surprising,” attributing it to an agreement among the “three main pro-European groups in the European Parliament.” In addition to the EPP and the Socialists, the Renew Europe group of liberals also openly supported von der Leyen.

The fact that groups, which find it difficult to agree in national politics, came together for von der Leyen’s election while Bartulica, a representative of the HDZ’s coalition partner, sided differently from HDZ’s MEPs. MEPs Karlo Rressler (HDZ, EPP) and Gordan Bosanac (Mozemo!, Greens) said that relations and operations in the European Parliament are different compared to the Croatian Parliament.

“This parliament is something completely different from the Croatian parliament. The ratio and political strength are entirely different. The EPP is not the same as the HDZ. There are people in the EPP who range from very left to very right,” said Gordan Bosanac of the Greens.

The Croatian Green MEP noted that von der Leyen addressed some “important ideological issues” and announced a new strategy for LGBTIQ rights across the European Union. “I don’t know if Plenkovic would dare to introduce such a strategy in the Croatian Parliament,” Bosanac told Croatian media.

Ressler (HDZ) stressed that Europe is “much more than narrow partisanship and our ideological divisions.”

“Today, it was important to responsibly support Europe, which is grappling with incredible tectonic shifts in the world around us,” Ressler said, noting that his group, the European People’s Party, and the HDZ emerged victorious in the European elections.

Despite the EPP being the largest group in the Parliament with 188 members, it is far from a majority, necessitating cooperation with other options based on guidelines set by the Commission President, which are largely shaped by the EPP program.

“From the economy, reducing bureaucracy, continuing the green transition while considering the needs of industry and the global race in economic and technological competitiveness. The issue of migration, border protection, and security was clearly emphasised,” the HDZ MEP said.

However, Ressler pointed out that “it is clear that in the next five years, especially at the start of the mandate, these political differences will be even more apparent when appointing new commissioners.”

Green MEPs’ conditional support

Gordan Bosanac stated that the vast majority of his colleagues in the Greens supported von der Leyen’s election.

However, von der Leyen did not receive unconditional support from the Greens, Bosanac noted, announcing that “each of her commissioners, as far as our group of Greens is concerned, will be thoroughly examined, and there is no guarantee that we will support each one just because we supported her now.”

Regarding von der Leyen’s program, Bosanac expressed satisfaction that she announced the continuation of the “green plan.”

He also emphasised the importance of placing the issue of public and affordable housing high on the European Commission’s agenda, a topic von der Leyen also addressed.

As good news, he highlighted the announcement that one of the future Commission’s commissioners would deal with housing issues and that there could be a new parliamentary committee dedicated to this topic.

He noted that the Greens are not satisfied with the part of the program concerning migration, as the asylum pact will “close the European Union, and no one will be able to get asylum.” However, now is the opportunity to work on safe and legal pathways.

“No one wants to encourage illegal migration, but Europe needs people,” he concluded, expressing hope for a broad consensus in the EP on this issue, “because everyone needs a workforce.”

Security at the core of the new Commission’s program

Before the vote, von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament, dedicating much of her speech to the continent’s security and competitiveness. She announced plans to triple the number of Frontex, the European border and coast guard, and double the number of Europol members to tackle the urgent issue of illegal migration.

Picula noted that “the security of European borders is obviously a deeply political issue and needs an organizational and political response.”

“Investing in Frontex is a reasonable step, as is investing in Europol because, as von der Leyen said, it is essential to enhance the sense of security,” Picula told Croatian media.

HDZ MEP Davor Ivo Stier, who is expected to deal with foreign policy and security issues in the new Parliament, explained that greater investments in security and defence, as announced by the Commission President, have the support of the main centrist groups.

“There is a consensus within this platform supporting von der Leyen, primarily made up of the European People’s Party, Socialists, and Liberals. Of course, today she also received support from other MEPs, but this platform forms the backbone. Within this platform, there is an understanding that the geopolitical situation requires Europe to strengthen its defence capacities. That’s why she spoke about the European Defence Union and emphasised that NATO remains the foundation of our collective defence and security system in Europe,” Stier said.

Regarding the potential impact of Donald Trump returning to the White House on European security, Stier noted that this “might create a paradox.” “On the one hand, a new Trump administration could increase pressure on European allies to spend more on defence and take more responsibility for their own security, thereby reducing dependence on American protection,” Stier explained.

SDP MEP Picula expects the new Commission to be more successful in promoting the EU as a global policy actor.

“It seems that this Commission will be somewhat more successful than her first Commission, which was also announced as a so-called geopolitical Commission. However, it turned out that geopolitical circumstances influenced the Commission and the EU much more than the Commission managed to articulate its interests,” Picula said.