During a high-stakes meeting with party chairs in Strasbourg on Tuesday, von der Leyen said that payments to regions — which currently make up a third of the EU’s multi-year budget — will continue to be handed out to local authorities as opposed to national governments in the new budget, two people in the room told POLITICO.
Von der Leyen’s offer, however, was not enough to quell concerns from the Socialists and Democrats, who have been increasingly critical of her leadership in recent weeks.
“We missed clarity and commitment … If nothing changes, it will be difficult for the S&D to decide not to abstain on Thursday,” a spokesperson for the group told POLITICO after Tuesday’s meeting.
Von der Leyen is expected to survive the vote even if the Socialist and Liberal parliamentary groups abstain, as the motion would need a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass. But it would send a strong message that she can’t count on Parliament to back her unconditionally.
The Socialists, the second-largest group in the European Parliament, are linking their support to the preservation of the European Social Fund, which is supposed to tackle poverty and support vulnerable groups.
Commissioner for social rights Roxana Mînzatu, herself a Socialist, is leading a push inside the EU executive to save the fund.