After weeks of wrangling , the European Parliament has finally approved the new European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen. The vote ended with 370 in favor, 282 against and 36 abstentions, and was not without political controversy, mainly over the Italian and Spanish Commissioners-designate and the appointment of Oliver Varhelyi.
In the case of the former enlargement commissioner Varhelyi, his hearing and assessment were postponed three times.
During the debates leading up to the vote, MEP Kinga Gal lashed out at the Von der Leyen Commission, saying
We are not willing to continue playing the game of backroom deals and maintaining the status quo. Europe deserves more than what the Von der Leyen Commission is providing here today.
The new Commission officially starts work on December 1. But the political battling over the appointments casts a shadow on its work. In a statement to Hir TV after the vote, Oliver Varhelyi said,
his new position is at the head of a commission where the everyday lives of European citizens need to be made even better.
In response to a question about his first tasks, he pointed out that there are many areas of Europe that medicines are not reaching. As he said,
Everyone should have equal access to medicines.
People who live in countries where the economy is not strong enough or where pharmaceutical companies lack a presence because of market opportunities should also be able to get access to medicines.
Cover photo: Oliver Varhelyi at a meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (Photo: AFP)
