candidate to preside over the Commission , agreement was reached on Ursula von der Leyen , the then Minister of Defence in Germany . Von der Leyen finally obtained the support of the largest parliamentary groups and the government leaders in the largest Member States . This fact led to the European Parliament ’ s vote of approval for her candidacy on 16 July 2019 ; the first female President of the European Commission was elected by the European Parliament with 383 votes in favour , i . e . by only 9 votes more than the required expected majority of 374 . The mandate of the College of Commissioners began on 1 December 2019 with this slim majority , and , shortly afterwards , in January 2020 , the United Kingdom effectively withdrew from the EU , leading to a change in the composition of the European Parliament , with a partial redistribution of seats ( 27 out of 73 ).
The start of the European legislative term : the COVID-19 pandemic and the European recovery plan
The European legislative term began , therefore , with an excellent turnout in the elections for the European Parliament , but with a significant challenge ; at the beginning of 2020 , the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed everything and threw Europe and the entire world into a frightening health , economic and social crisis . The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for our societies , adding more stress to life in European households and families . It soon became clear that the European Union had to deliver a collective response to the phenomenon and to show that it still stood for the principles of solidarity between Member States and the idea of a common destiny . In May 2020 , in response to the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic , the European Commission proposed a temporary recovery instrument , entitled Next Generation EU , and targeted measures in the EU budget , with a timetable for the approval of new own resources for the 2021-2027 period . This was
147