Out of the 719 voting Members of Parliament (MEPs), 401 voted in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes. This will be Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as Commission President after she first was elected by MEPs in July 2019.
In a summary of the debate with MEPs, which took place ahead of the election, Culture Action Europe writes that “Von der Leyen talked about reinforcing the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as enhancing social dialogue and citizen participation. She emphasised the issue of mental health crisis and the need to provide fair working conditions for workers and the self-employed. In her speech, Madam President also focused on participative democracy, the new European Democracy Shield, and supporting and protecting independent media and journalists.”
- Learn more about Ursula von der Leyen's priorities in her Political Guidelines 2024-2029
On 16 July, the Members of the European Parliament re-elected Roberta Metsola as the President of the European Parliament.
Concerning culture, the European Parliament's CULT Committee, which focuses on culture and education, has a new composition of members. The election of the chair and vice-chairs of CULT is scheduled for today 23 July.
