(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 19 - The German conservative Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday was re-elected by Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. She will lead the Commission for another five-year term after having been at the helm of the EU since 2019 as the first female executive ever.
    Signal of Stability.
    The European Parliament (EP) voted in favour of a second Ursula von der Leyen term in the European Commission with 401 votes on Thursday afternoon during its first parliamentary session since the European elections in early June.
    Von der Leyen was re-elected in a secret ballot vote. The European Parliament has 720 seats but is currently made up of 719 members as the Spanish MEP Antoni Comin has not yet taken up his mandate. The necessary majority to secure a second term was 360 votes. 284 lawmakers voted against, there were 15 abstentions and seven invalid votes. While von der Leyen in 2019 only secured the post by nine votes, her majority this time is much larger.
    Her successful re-election to lead the powerful commission is a strong signal of stability for the European Union during testing times of war and political instability heightened by the strengthening of the far-right.
    With the backing of EU leaders and the European Parliament, the German politician will have to get straight to work choosing her next cabinet of commissioners, known as a "college", to work on EU policy in key areas. From mid-August, she will start interviewing the candidates proposed by European governments.
    During her second term, she will likely have to face a growing list of issues to tackle, including war in Ukraine and the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East as well as the EU's trade tensions with China and the possibility of a second Trump presidency on the other side of the Atlantic.
    Parliament members cast their vote after the European People's Party (EPP) politician presented her agenda for the next term earlier in the morning to the lawmakers in Strasbourg.
    What are von der Leyen's goals for the second term?.
    In her speech prior to the vote, the German politician outlined her plans for a second term in the EU's highest office, focussing on defence and industry and tackling a housing crisis.
    The re-election pitch also included stern words for Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, advocating for a "strong Europe" as well as concrete plans to strengthen the EU border and coastguard agency Frontex and to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
    The former German defence minister advocated for a "strong Europe" in a "period of deep anxiety and uncertainty".
    "I'm convinced that Europe, a strong Europe, can rise to the challenge," she said during a speech in the European Parliament.
    "I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life, and I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the democratic forces here in this house." She vowed to strengthen the Frontex "while fully respecting fundamental rights", proposing to triple the number of guards.
    During her speech, she also mentioned the need for an "immediate and enduring" ceasefire in Gaza as too many civilians in the Palestinian territory "have lost their lives as a result of Israel's response to Hamas' brutal terror".
    Von der Leyen also promised to target cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040. This objective is a key step towards achieving the carbon neutrality by 2050 goal. Von der Leyen told EU lawmakers that "the new clean industrial deal will also help bring down energy bills".
    Besides that, she criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent visit to Moscow, calling it "nothing but an appeasement mission". Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Von der Leyen this week ordered top EU officials to stay away from a series of meetings Hungary was to host as part of its EU presidency, and to send lower-ranking civil servants only.
    (continues).
    (The content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr, in this case AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, EFE, LUSA, STA, TASR, Tanjug). (ANSA).