BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen spent the morning of important votes that could topple her European Commission giving a triumphant speech to a room packed with heads of state and diplomats from anywhere but Europe.
The Commission president delivered a keynote address at the Global Gateway Forum, an event celebrating an EU initiative to invest in infrastructure projects in developing parts of the world. Von der Leyen launched it in 2021 and it is one of her signature initiatives.
Later Thursday, the European Parliament in Strasbourg will hold two no-confidence votes on her leadership. While von der Leyen is all but certain to survive, she may not emerge entirely unscathed. She defeated another no-confidence vote in July, and if she receives the backing of fewer MEPs this time, it will signal an erosion of support.
“The way forward is through partnerships,” von der Leyen told the room full of visiting dignitaries. But she could have easily been speaking to MEPs from different political tribes whom she is asking to back her.
Prior to her speech, von der Leyen sat in the front row of the event, unsmiling and listening intently via her earphones. She was flanked by multiple African leaders, including Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, and Angolan President João Lourenço.
European leaders largely skipped the two-day conference, with the exception of a few ministers and commissioners, according to the program. Global Gateway, the EU’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, has invested over €300 billion in projects across the developing world and is expected to invest a hundred billion more by 2027.
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