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MEPs back new von der Leyen commission

The new European Commission is set to take office on 1 December after the European Parliament voted to approve the team named by the body’s president Ursula von der Leyen.

The new commissioners include Ireland’s Michael McGrath, who takes over a portfolio that covers justice and the rule of law, as well as consumer protection.

MEPs in Strasbourg backed the new commission by 370 votes to 282, with 36 abstentions – a narrower majority than the margin of more than 300 that von der Leyen enjoyed in 2019.

Rule-of-law tools

This will be von der Leyen’s second term as president.

The commission will now need to be formally approved by a qualified majority of EU Council members.

Speaking at the parliament, von der Leyen said that she had tasked McGrath to be “a steadfast guardian of our values and principles”.

“He will consolidate the tools for the rule of law we already have. And he will work to build new ones – including proposals on smart conditionality. And he will make sure that the rule of law – and justice for all – remains at the heart of our European project,” she added.