German Greens attach conditions to confirming von der Leyen as Commission president
tageszeitung (taz) / 威力彩玩法
The German members of the Green group in the European Parliament (EP) said they would only support German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen鈥檚 (CDU) nomination as the new European Commission president if there were certain concessions, also on climate, . 鈥淔or us to say yes, we would need concessions on three levels: strengthening European democracy; Green policy, such as effective CO鈧 pricing; and offices to be able to implement agreements,鈥 Sven Giegold, Green member of the EP, told taz. A first meeting of leaders of the Greens with von der Leyen was 鈥渃onstructive,鈥 German MEP Ska Keller 鈥 co-president of the Greens/European Free Alliance group 鈥 . However, 鈥渨e expect to see clear proposals on policies, such as a search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea, a comprehensive rule of law framework and strict climate targets,鈥 said Keller. The Green group has also invited von der Leyen to provide answers to its members. The date has yet to be decided.
With more than 70 members, the Greens are the fourth largest group in the European Parliament and could deliver important votes for von der Leyen. The German conservative politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was nominated by EU leaders to become the next Commission president, which came as a surprise to many political observers as she was not a lead candidate in the election campaign. Little is known about the incumbent German defence minister's climate credentials, but recent remarks suggest that she considers emission reduction a key issue for the EU.