Re-election of von der Leyen is in line with Latvia's interests - expert

RIGA - The re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as the President of the European Commission (EC) is in Latvia's interests, Janis Kapustans, a lecturer at the Latvian National Defense Academy, told LETA.

Von der Leyen needed at least 361 votes to be confirmed, but 401 out of 720 MEPs voted in her favor.

Kapustans pointed out that support for von der Leyen has increased, compared to a lower level five years ago.

"The support is quite strong and could signal some stability in the EU, because the EU is facing challenges - Russia, the East and the US presidential elections," he added.

In his view, von der Leyen is one of the best candidates because she represents an influential country like Germany and has served as German Defense Minister. She understands the security situation and the Baltic situation accordingly.

"In the current situation, she is completely relevant to Latvia's interests," the expert said, adding that European leaders have also changed with the times and have moved closer to Latvia's position.

Kapustans also reminded about Latvia's Valdis Dombrovskis, the previous executive vice president of the European Commission. A vote on his reappointment is expected.

Also, the current Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has been selected as the candidate for the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.