A new EU legislature is rapidly taking shape as the European Elections took place on 6-9 June. For the business aviation sector it is important to take stock of the current state of play after the elections, what policy priorities are currently circulating and what could it mean for the sector in Europe.

EPP Group Emerges Victorious

After the elections, the EPP Group has emerged as the largest political group in the European Parliament with around 188 seats. This, in turn, secured Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination as European Commission President during the European Council summit, which took place on 27 June. Other nominees for top EU positions include former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa for President of the European Council alongside Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas for the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs (so-called HRVP).

Challenges to von der Leyen’s Nomination

However, while von der Leyen secured her nomination by the European Council, two Heads of State did not support her candidacy: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who abstained from the vote, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (whose country is also holding the rotating EU Council Presidency role) who voted against her. This is significant because von der Leyen still requires confirmation from the European Parliament on 18 July. The current margin of support for von der Leyen is narrow, and she will need backing from 361 MEPs, including from the Greens or the ECR (conservatives) Groups.

Parliamentary Dynamics and New Alliances

A delicate balancing act will be required as certain MEPs from the S&D (Social Democrats) and Renew (liberals) groups have stated in the past that they will not support the candidate. Even some EPP MEPs may be inclined to vote against von der Leyen if she seeks support from the Greens/EFA or the ECR Groups. In addition, a new far-right group has formed (‘Patriots for Europe’) with the likes of Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán, further complicating von der Leyen’s re-election as President. Sources say that this group can even get chair positions of influential Parliamentary committees such as the Transport Committee (TRAN), which is crucial to advocating for Business Aviation’s interests. For our industry, it remains to be seen exactly which like-minded MEPs will join the TRAN committee. One positive development from Germany is that pro-(business) aviation MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen from the liberal party appears likely to be one of the key advocates for aviation in the TRAN committee in the next mandate.

Policy Priorities and Next Steps

As regards policy priorities and specific dossiers concerning (business) aviation, a political discourse around the so-called ‘new industrial deal’ is taking shape. Policymakers increasingly talk about delivering the Green Deal targets and also turning it into a ‘growth deal’ by achieving the 55% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050 while at the same time boosting the EU’s competitiveness and ensuring technological neutrality without creating burdening bureaucracy and red tape for businesses. This would definitely be a positive step forward for the European business aviation sector. The next steps include confirming Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President at the first plenary session of the new European Parliament on 17 July, followed by the nomination and hearings of individual Commissioners later in the year. Regarding who will be the new transport commissioner, we will know more in the autumn, as it will be subject to further political horse-trading regarding other policy portfolios as well. However, it’s more than probable that current Commissioner Valean will no longer continue as she is voted as MEP and will most likely sit in the TRAN committee of the Parliament.