Ursula von der Leyen, the President-elect of the European Commission, sent an open letter to Europe’s largest newspapers on Monday in which she defended her decision to name incoming Vice President Margaritis Schinas’ portfolio as ”Protecting the European Way of Life.”
The European way of life also means listening and debating with one another to find solutions for the common good. This is what I want us to do together.
Read more👉https://t.co/gRj4ZoNPNC pic.twitter.com/BjFatzvL1i— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 16, 2019
Von der Leyen noted in her letter that Europe cannot allow foreign powers to intervene in the EU’s domestic affairs, in the same way that Europe must not allow European populist and extremist politicians to destabilize the Union from the inside.
“We should be proud of our European way of life in all of its dimensions, in all of its forms,” the President-elect noted in her letter.
”We should constantly preserve, protect and nurture it. This is why it is one of the six guiding principles in my political guidelines,” von der Leyen highlighted.
The next EU Commission President accepted that her decision has sparked negative reactions but she said that she chose this title because the European way of life must not be taken for granted.
Our European Way of Life pic.twitter.com/okSmjC9tjb
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 12, 2019
”Our European way of life came at a great price and sacrifice; it is neither a given nor a guarantee. The proof of that is that our way of living is being challenged every day — as much by anti-Europeans from within as from without,” the next EU President declared.
Since von der Leyen announced that Margaritis Schinas, who will represent Greece in the upcoming five-year administration, will become the Vice President, tasked with “Protecting the European Way of Life,” a wave of negative remarks has swept through social media.
Shinas will serve as the Vice President who is responsible for the issues of migration, education, security, and employment across the entire EU.
MEPs and politicians from a large part of the European political spectrum, as well as many political analysts, expressed distaste for the title in a number of very negative remarks posted on social media.
Von der Leyen’s administration will have to be approved by the European Parliament before it takes office on November 1, 2019.
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