Von der Leyen Will Continue to Lead a Geopolitical EU

Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected by nan European Parliament arsenic president of nan European Commission, nan leader of nan EU’s executive branch, for different 5-year term. Von der Leyen enjoyed nan support of nan body’s center-right, centrist, center-left and Green blocs, pinch nan various far-right coalitions voting against her. (AP)

Our Take

Since taking agency successful 2019, von der Leyen has had nary shortage of critics, galore of whom constituent to her activity style, which centralizes decision-making and tin thin toward micromanagement. Others reason she has astatine times overstepped her position, peculiarly by advocating for policies—like aligning pinch nan U.S. connected China—that bespeak her individual penchant alternatively than that of nan EU’s personnel states.

But complete nan people of her first term, which has coincided pinch immoderate of nan astir momentous crises nan EU has faced, von der Leyen has besides proven herself to beryllium an effective leader.

Less than a twelvemonth aft taking office, she corralled and guided nan bloc’s consequence to nan COVID-19 pandemic, successful peculiar by organizing nan EU’s corporate purchases of vaccines and harmonizing recreation restrictions and subsequently “vaccine passports” to guarantee that soul state of activity could beryllium maintained. Then, conscionable arsenic nan pandemic consequence was opening to upwind down, Russia invaded Ukraine. Here, too, von der Leyen played a important domiciled successful marshaling nan EU’s consequence to nan war, overcoming obstacles for illustration Hungarian PM Viktor Orban’s attempts to dilute nan bloc’s sanctions against Russia and artifact assistance to Ukraine.

Now, von der Leyen will commencement her 2nd word amid a shifting European governmental scenery characterized by a resurgent far-right movement. Of course, nan occurrence of nan acold correct successful caller European Parliament elections did not forestall her from securing a 2nd term. In fact, she won much comfortably successful nan parliamentary ballot this clip astir than before, without having to make immoderate concessions to nan acold correct connected appointments to nan different apical EU roles.

Still, she will person to contend pinch nan acold right’s increasing power successful EU decision-making, and successful European authorities much broadly. And that’s conscionable 1 of galore challenges von der Leyen will look successful her 2nd term, including nan ongoing warfare successful Ukraine, nan upcoming U.S. statesmanlike predetermination and nan bloc’s heightened waste and acquisition tensions pinch China.

But nan EU will besides face these challenges arsenic a acold much empowered entity than it was erstwhile von der Leyen first took office, mostly because of her activity and successful spite of her flaws. During her first property convention arsenic president of nan European Commission backmost successful 2019, von der Leyen declared her volition to lead “a geopolitical commission.” She has surely lived up to that promise.

The Third Plenum of nan Central Committee, a awesome policymaking gathering of China’s Communist Party, wrapped up today. A connection released astatine its conclusion suggested that nan awesome governmental and economical reforms usually associated pinch 3rd plenums won’t beryllium forthcoming.

Rather, President Xi Jinping appears to beryllium doubling down connected his existent scheme to get China retired of its economical struggles, specifically by expanding manufacturing successful cardinal sectors and trying to statement up assurance among investors. But arsenic Mary Gallagher wrote earlier this year, further hold successful implementing economical reforms is apt to reenforce fears that China’s leader is either incapable aliases unwilling to correct nan country’s economical ship.

The Suez Canal’s yearly gross dropped by almost a 4th successful its latest financial twelvemonth arsenic immoderate shipping companies switched to alternate routes to debar Houthi attacks successful nan Red Sea. Houthi rebels person been attacking merchant shipping since nan warfare successful Gaza began, successful solidarity pinch Palestinians.

The attacks person diminished prospects for shipping successful nan Mediterranean Sea region, which relies connected nan Suez Canal for maritime traffic. But arsenic Miquel Vila Moreno wrote successful January, different developments, peculiarly nan increasing geopolitical risks reshaping waste and acquisition pinch China, person immoderate imaginable to thief Mediterranean economies.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will open a caller parliamentary word coming pinch a reside successful which he will laic retired nan priorities for his caller conjugation government. As Chris O. Ògúnmọ́dẹdé wrote past month, Ramaphosa’s long-dominant ANC now leads a conjugation pinch intractable differences that will make addressing South Africa’s deep-rooted challenges very difficult.

An Italian journalist has been ordered to salary thousands of euros successful damages to PM Giorgia Meloni for making nosy of her tallness connected societal media. The tribunal bid comes amid a surge successful lawsuits brought against journalists successful Italy, which prompted Reporters Without Borders to downgrade nan state successful its yearly property state index.

The inclination is conscionable 1 of galore illiberal turns seen successful Italy nether Meloni. But arsenic John Boyce wrote past month, nan EU continues to move a unsighted oculus to them.

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