Following today's hearing with the nominee for EU Commission Presidency, Ursula von der Leyen, the Greens/EFA group decided to vote against her candidacy next week, says Greens/EFA President Ska Keller:

“The statements of Ursula von der Leyen were disappointing. We did not hear any concrete proposal, be it on rule of law or on climate. We have been elected on a mandate for change and we don't see how change will be possible with this candidate.

“The President of the European Commission needs to be the guardian of the rule of law and European values. Ursula von der Leyen evaded our questions on the rule of law and democracy in Europe. This is a major shortcoming on one of the main questions that the EU is confronted with."

Philippe Lamberts, President of the Greens/EFA, group adds:

“Only a few weeks after the climate elections, she is ignoring the climate emergency and even wants to aim for lower climate targets than previously agreed by the European Parliament. Ms von der Leyen is simply not a Commission President that the Greens/EFA group can support.

“We insist that the voters deserve a democratic and transparent process when it comes to the choice of Commission President. The lead candidate process has not been respected which is a betrayal of the European electorate.”

More:

If you missed the hearing, you can watch it back here

If you need it in HD quality, you can download it here: https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/dwnservice/ondemand?t=5de93d24-1f67-4c69-8922-0900e6f4074c