In 1994, the Italian philosopher Norberto Bobbio formulated the idea of an “inclusive” political center, which, rather than trying to find a space in the middle, transcends the left-right divide to create a new amalgamation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will have to do just that as she begins her second mandate.
PARIS – The European Parliament’s center held, but only just. Last week, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and the centrist Renew Group forged a compromise that allowed Ursula von der Leyen’s new Commission to take office on December 1. Tensions erupted over the Italian Vice President, Raffaele Fitto, a member of Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party. The Greens and the European Conservatives and Reformists (which includes the Brothers of Italy) ultimately pushed von der Leyen’s Commission over the line.
PARIS – The European Parliament’s center held, but only just. Last week, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and the centrist Renew Group forged a compromise that allowed Ursula von der Leyen’s new Commission to take office on December 1. Tensions erupted over the Italian Vice President, Raffaele Fitto, a member of Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party. The Greens and the European Conservatives and Reformists (which includes the Brothers of Italy) ultimately pushed von der Leyen’s Commission over the line.