Von der Leyen promises commissioners for defence, housing and the Mediterranean if re-elected

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenhe promised on Thursday in the plenary session of the European parliament to create two new portfolios to appoint Commissioners for Housing and the Mediterranean, which will be added to the new post responsible for Defence that he announced during the campaign, if MEPs support his renewal at the head of the Community administration in a vote that will take place at midday.

After confirming his intention to appoint a Defence Commissioner, he assured that one of his objectives will be to promote a Defence Commissioner European anti-aircraft shield.

As for housing, “Europe faces a housing crisiswhich affects people of all ages and families of all sizes; Prices and rents are skyrocketing and people are struggling to find affordable housing. This is why I will appoint, for the first time, a Commissioner directly responsible for Housing,” the German politician said during her speech in the European Parliament.

‘The Mediterranean must attract all our attention’Von der Leyen warned members of the European Parliament after he warned of the need to “common approach” to deportations of migrants so that they are “more effective and dignified”, but also to strengthen agreements with third countries.

For this reason, he announced, his programme includes the creation of a Commissioner for the Mediterranean, who will work together with the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas.

Another bet of conservative politics if re-elected is “triple” the strength of the European Border and Coast Guard Corps (Frontex) to insure up to 30,000 agents prepared to be deployed in crisis situations or to deal with possible ‘hybrid attacks or provocations’.

Attempts at destabilization

“We must always remember that a Member State’s border is a European border,” he stressed, defending the need to increase control and security in the face of destabilization attempts such as ‘Russian practices to lure migrants from Yemen to the north and deliberately launch them against the Finnish border.

On the other hand, the candidate to repeat the function has an announced European Climate Adaptation Plan and a European Water Resilience Strategy among the political priorities for his second term. German policy believes that “one of the greatest risks to our security is the impact of climate change,” with “devastating” consequences from “floods, fires and droughts.”

Moreover, German politics has promised to fight against it “with all democratic forces” polarization and extremism who are trying to ‘destroy’ the European way of life. ‘I will not accept extremists or demagogues if they want to destroy our way of life,’ he said.

Calls for an end to “bloodshed in Gaza” but without proposing measures against Israel

Von der Leyen has again called for an end to the “bloodshed in Gaza”, saying the citizens of the Strip and Humanity “can’t take it anymore”“Many children, women and civilians have lost their lives as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’s brutal terror,” he said.

He has assured that “the people of Gaza can no longer tolerate it and humanity can no longer tolerate it.” Therefore, he has asserted the necessity “an immediate and lasting ceasefire”as well as the release of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

He also urged the two-state solution as “the best way to ensure security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” because “the people of the Middle East deserve peace, security and prosperity.” However, he did not raise the possibility of sanctioning Israel, as he had done with Russia.

Finally, the candidate criticized the Hungarian Prime Minister’s trip, Victor Orbánto Moscow, which defended the Magyar leader as a “peace mission” and called the German one a “reconciliation mission,” while insisting that “no one wants peace as much as the Ukrainians.”