Roberta Metsola, support for Ukraine and Ursula von der Leyen will be the main topics of the first plenary session since the June elections.
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00:00The first plenary session after the European elections is taking place this week in Strasbourg.
00:07And the freshly elected MEPs will face a first crucial vote on Von der Leyen's re-election.
00:13She appears to be in a good position to continue as president of the European Commission after her meetings with the so-called moderate platform.
00:21She has got the support of the EPP, SND and liberal groups.
00:26But the vote on Thursday will be secret and some of the 720 MEPs may not follow the group's guidelines.
00:33This is what everybody is talking about at the moment, that she needs this famous 361 seats to reach an absolute majority of the members of the European Parliament in order to become the next Commission president.
00:46And this is her only shot.
00:49If she fails, then the European Council would have to come up with an alternative candidate.
00:54And that would delay this institutional turnover quite significantly.
01:00Von der Leyen might need the support of other groups to ensure her re-election, like the Greens, who are demanding her to stick to the Green Deal.
01:08The Greens have not declared themselves, so there is doubt on who they will support, whether they will support her.
01:19Broadly, it will depend on parts of her political manifesto, but also more generally about that line that she will decide to draw between the far right.
01:33Particularly on policy issues, it will be for these groups particularly the support of the implementation, the continued implementation of the Green Deal, but also maintaining pressure on the rule of law that will be crucial.
01:50Von der Leyen could also get some votes from the ultra-conservatives of ECR.
01:55They are one of the three parties from the extreme right, alongside patriots of Europe and Europe of sovereign nations.
02:02But the socialists and the liberals have made it clear that they would not accept any kind of structured cooperation with the far right.
02:12On the other side, during this constitutive session, the MEP's vote for President of the European Parliament should be much less controversial.
02:20Incumbent Roberta Metzola from the EVP is the only candidate for a second term, probably for another two and a half years.
02:32For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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