With 401 votes in favour, the European Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission in a secret ballot on 18 July.

This will be Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as Commission President. She was first elected by MEPs in July 2019.

Parliament is currently composed of 719 MEPs, so the necessary majority was 360 votes. The vote was held by secret paper ballot. 401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes.

Ursula von der Leyen outlined her priorities ahead of the vote.&nbsp;Ursula von der Leyen put forward her vision for a stronger and more prosperous Europe. Key initiatives include a new Clean Industrial Deal to drive decarbonisation and industrial growth, and a European Competitiveness Fund to boost innovation.

She announced that she would boost security by doubling Europol’s staff and tripling the number of European Border and Coast Guards to 30 000. She proposed a European Democracy Shield for countering foreign information manipulation and interference, and a European Affordable Housing Plan.

Ms von der Leyen also suggested a plan for agriculture to address the need to adapt to climate change and a Roadmap for Women’s Rights. Saying that “we must enable young people to make the most of Europe’s freedoms”, she highlighted the importance of the Erasmus+ programme, mental health, and tackling issues related to screen time and social media, including addictive practices. She put significant focus on defence, proposing to create a new post of Commissioner for Defence to drive the European Defence Union and calling for a comprehensive aerial defence system – a European Air Shield – to protect EU airspace and “as a strong symbol of European unity in defence matters”.

Election of the 2024-2029 European Commission

&nbsp;In July 2024 MEPs re-elected Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT) as President of the European Parliament until 2027, with 562 votes in the first round.

Roberta Metsola won the election in the first round of voting, where she received an absolute majority of 562 votes cast out of 699 by secret paper ballot, among two candidates. She will continue to lead Parliament for the first two and a half years of the 10th legislative term.

Following the election of its President, Parliament&nbsp; elected its 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, which comprise Parliament’s Bureau.

Election of the President of the European Parliament and the Bureau

A newly formed European Parliament emerged&nbsp;from the EU of June 2024 across the member states. 720 Members of the Parliament were elected by the European citizens. As the legislative powerhouse of the European Union, the Parliament and its Members will hold a pivotal role in shaping policies and making legislation that transcend borders, on a variety of issues ranging from climate action to economic strength in order to address the pressing global geopolitical challenges.

The European Parliament was officially constituted on Tuesday 16/7 in Strasbourg, following the European elections on 6-9 June.&nbsp;

MEPs re-elected Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT) as President of the European Parliament until 2027, with 562 votes in the first round. Roberta Metsola won the election in the first round of voting, where she received an absolute majority of 562 votes cast out of 699 by secret paper ballot, among two candidates. She will continue to lead Parliament for the first two and a half years of the 10th legislative term.

MEPs elected 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, as established through rules 16, 17, and 18 of the EP Rules of Procedure. MEPs will also vote on the numerical composition of Parliament’s standing committees and subcommittees, based on a proposal from the Conference of Presidents (CoP). The decision on which MEPs go to each committee is taken by the political groups and the non-attached members (rules 212 and 216 of the Rules of Procedure). This is expected to be announced to plenary during the July session.

In its tenth term, the European Parliament will have 720 seats, 15 more than at the end of the previous legislature. 54% of MEPs are newly-elected (in 2019 the share of newcomers was 61%) and the share of women is 39% (it was 40% in 2019). Lena Schilling (Greens/EFA) from Austria (23 years old) is the youngest MEP, while Leoluca Orlando (Greens/EFA) from Italy (77 years old) is the oldest. The average age of MEPs is 50. At the beginning of the tenth term, there are eight political groups, one more than in the previous legislature. 33 MEPs remain non-attached.

New European Parliament (2024-2029)

Ever since Russia launched an illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24&nbsp;February 2022, the EU and the Parliament have supported the country by condemning Russia’s aggression, sanctioning those responsible and providing financial and material aid. Parliament has also been supportive of Ukraine’s efforts to become an EU candidate country and has been calling on EU countries to launch accession talks.&nbsp;

The European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was in Kyiv on 1 April 2022 to express the European Union´s support to the Ukrainian people and to condemn the unjustified Russian attack.&nbsp; On 9 February 2023, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the European Parliament during an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels.

In Joint Statement&nbsp;the Presidents of the European Union Institutions on the occasion of the 2 year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine&nbsp; declared: "The European Union will continue its strong and unwavering political, military, financial, economic, diplomatic and humanitarian support to help Ukraine defend itself, protect its people, its cities and its critical infrastructure, restore its territorial integrity, bring back the thousands of deported children, and bring the war to an end. The European Union has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and will help it on its path towards EU membership. The future of Ukraine lies in the European Union.

The European Union will continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support. The 50 billion euro financial assistance package for 2024-2027 will help Ukraine meet its immediate needs, rebuild its economy and society, modernise its institutions and consolidate democracy and the rule of law."

Solidarity with Ukraine

Infographics on EU Elections of 6 to 9 June 2024 on the results and explainer videos

Infographics and explainers

Have a look at the 2021 and 2022&nbsp;stockshots with illustrative pre-edited broadcast quality video footage. These editable stockshots are clean (raw), with natural sound (no voice-over), produced to illustrate priority EU dossiers and parliamentary work. They are intended to help audiovisual media produce their own programs, for example, editing of news reports or documentaries.

Stockshots are clean (raw), with natural sound (no voice-over), pre-edited videos

9th parliamentary term

Infoclips (T)

Infoclips - Illustrative footage

On 24 February Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Shortly before&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized&nbsp;two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine&nbsp; as independent.&nbsp;The Conference of Presidents of the EP condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. "Ukraine is an independent and sovereign nation and its territorial integrity is non-negotiable. The invasion is unjustified and illegal. It is a threat to European and regional stability, as well as to the rules-based world order. The attack targets our model of democratic society. It cannot go unanswered, " says declaration of the COP.

"The Russian invasion into Ukraine is part of President Putin’s destabilisation agenda. It is a path that will bring the Kremlin in direct confrontation with Europe and the rule-based world-order. It is a path that pits authoritarianism against democracy. It is a path that we cannot allow him to walk unchallenged," said EP President Roberta Metsola.

European Union leaders met for a special European Council in Brussels on 24 February&nbsp;and adopted a set of sanctions related to the the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors,dual-use goods, exports, Russian individuals etc.&nbsp;

Ukraine is a priority partner for the European Union (EU). The EU supports Ukraine in ensuring a stable, prosperous and democratic future for its citizens and is unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Association Agreement (AA), including its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) signed in 2014, is the main tool for bringing Ukraine and the EU closer together. Since 2014, the EU and the Financial Institutions have mobilised more than €15 billion in grants and loans to support the reform process in the country, with strong conditionality on continued progress.

As a result of the cooperation with Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada in the field of democracy support, European Parliament launched on 11 March the website “<a href="https://ukraine.europarl.europa.eu/en/home.html" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">The EU stands with Ukraine</a>” (in English and Ukrainian) provides the latest news, videos and podcasts, relevant legislation and resolutions to show how the EU is helping Ukraine. Content from the Ukrainian Parliament could also be shared on the site. Actively supporting EU efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the world is one of Parliament's core responsibilities.

EU - Ukraine

G7 and EU - US summits that will tackle issues like COVID-19, climate change, Russia and free trade Belarus.

On 11-13 June, at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, the seven members - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus the EU - will discuss the global recovery from COVID-19, free and fair trade and the fight against climate change. Other major security issues such as Belarus, and Israel/Palestine will also be raised. The UK organisers have invited leaders from Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa to attend as guest countries.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission and Charles Michel , President of the Council will meet the US president on 15 June in Brussels.

G7 and EU - US summits

On 24 February 2022,&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;began a&nbsp;military invasion&nbsp;of Ukraine, in a major escalation of the conflict that had begun in 2014. Shortly before, on 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.&nbsp;

Since then, the EU and its international allies have rallied firmly behind the Kyiv government. This support has resulted in unprecedented levels of financial aid, assistance, weapons deliveries to Ukraine, sweeping sanctions against Moscow, and the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.

On 1&nbsp;March&nbsp;the European Parliament held an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels to assess Russia’s military assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&nbsp;and the Speaker of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Ruslan Stefanchuk spoke live from Kiev.&nbsp;The European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was in Kyiv on 1 April&nbsp;to express the European Union´s support of&nbsp;the Ukrainian people and to condemn the Russian attack. On&nbsp;8 June&nbsp;Stefanchuk adressed Parliament in the Strasbourg hemicycle.

Following the atrocities carried out by Vladimir Putin’s regime against Ukrainian civilians, the European Parliament has&nbsp;recognised Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in a resolution on November 2022.

On 9th February 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy&nbsp;addressed the European Parliament during an extraordinary plenary session in Brussels.

In March 2024, &nbsp;MEPs voted to to amend the Commission’s proposal to suspend import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU for another year, from 6 June 2024 to 5 June 2025.&nbsp;

Russian aggression against Ukraine

Italy is a parliamentary republic with a head of government - the prime minister - appointed by the president and a head of state - the president. The Parliament is composed of 2 houses: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic.

Italy is a member of the eurozone since 1 January 1999 and of the Schengen area since 26 October 1997. There are 75&nbsp;members of the European Parliament from Italy.

EU - Italy

Diplomatic relations between the EU and the U.S. date back to 1953. Many important questions between EU and the U.S. are being discussed at the moment, such as withdrawal of the US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, the need to strenghten EU's strategic autonomy and defence capabilities or economic cooperation.

In a resolution on future EU-US relations adopted in the plenary in October, MEPs advocate the EU’s strategic autonomy and call for better EU-US coordination on China to avoid tensions. MEPs welcome the US’s support for rules-based multilateralism, as this provides an important opportunity to re-engage, as an equal partner.

The report stresses that, in deepening transatlantic cooperation, the EU should strive to lead alongside the US, while fostering its strategic autonomy in defence and economic relations as a means to pursue its own legitimate diplomatic, security and economic interests. MEPs also called for reflection on the lessons learnt from the situation in Afghanistan.

A new EU-US agenda for global change adopted by the Commission in December 2020 identified scope for cooperation on the pandemic,the climate, trade,security and democracy.

But progress in some areas has been slow: a US travel ban on foreign visitors was lifted only on 20 September 2021, months after the EU eased restrictions on US travellers; tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on EU steel and aluminium exports on national security grounds remain in place; and talks on a new cross-border data agreement have not yet concluded. Moreover, the US has appeared not to consult the EU on major foreign policy decisions: such as support for a proposal to waive intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines. The exodus of NATO forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 also drew criticism from some European US allies.

Zaujímavosti

Election of the 2024-2029 European Commission

Election of the President of the European Parliament and the Bureau

New European Parliament (2024-2029)

Solidarity with Ukraine

Infographics and explainers

Infoclips - Illustrative footage

Posledné témy

EU - Ukraine

G7 and EU - US summits

Russian aggression against Ukraine

Solidarity with Ukraine

EU - Italy

EU - USA

Hľadať témy