"Isamaa believes that the European Union should revise the current green turn policy more sensibly. Greening is too much of a planned economy and it undermines Europe's competitiveness," Urmas Reinsalu, chair of Isamaa and a member of the same European People's Party (EPP) political family as von der Leyen, told ERR on Friday.

At the same time, Social Democrat MEP Marina Kaljurand said that the fight against climate change should not be abandoned. "Von der Leyen's enthusiasm for promoting the green revolution has waned, despite the passing of most of the legislation and its ongoing development. Social Democrats are not exactly green enthusiasts either, but we think that this issue needs to be taken forward. We cannot prioritize security issues over everything else due to the current situation in Ukraine, contrary to what the EPP appears to believe," she said.

"The European Union must and can address several issues at once, and must therefore continue to address climate issues," Kaljurand said. However, she said, the green revolution needs to be better explained to people, it needs to be fair and understandable.

"But while the EPP is now trying to position itself as a defender of farmers, presenting this as a black-and-white issue, it is worth remembering that the children of farmers will also have to deal with climate change," said Kaljurand, adding that a compromise must be found between the various interests involved in the green turn, and the European Parliament has been pretty good at this.

Urmas Paet, a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament, also said that the green turn has already begun and will must continue. "It is clear that the European economy must act in a way that respects the natural environment, otherwise we could face another crisis," he said. "However, there is enough common sense in Europe to change any deadlines or parameters if necessary."

When it comes to climate issues, he said, you can change tactics but not strategy. "The bottom line is that business has to take into account the natural environment – that is not changing," he added.

The Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) MEP Jaak Madison, who is a member of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, said his group would certainly not support von der Leyen's re-election, largely because of the green turn.

"She has made many bad choices, such as starting a green turn in 2019, which will be very costly for our people and our businesses, including in Estonia," Madison said.

"But for her to be able to continue, she's probably going to have to get the Social Democrats and the Liberals to promise to continue these policies," he added.

Von der Leyen's strength of actions during the Ukraine war

Paet emphasized that von der Leyen's strength lies in having led the European Commission through two major crises. "While at the beginning of the pandemic crisis her reaction and her dealings with the member states were still bumpy, we can be very satisfied with her leadership in the Ukraine war. If all the European Commission's initiatives failed, it was neither her fault nor that of the Commission. In short, he has been tough in crises and clear and principled on the security issues that matter to us," Paet said.

Reinsalu also highlighted von der Leyen's actions in support of Ukraine: "From the point of view of Isamaa, it is reasonable that she has led the European Commission to support Ukraine under Russian aggression and worked for a greater contribution to European security."

Kaljurand also praised von der Leyen for her work in organizing support for Ukraine and strengthening European security.

Kaljurand also pointed out that in order to win the approval of the European Parliament, von der Leyen will probably have to start cooperating with hard right-wing forces of the EPP, or the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).

"What will happen with the green turn and von der Leyen's relations with right-wing politicians, or how far to the right she will allow EU policy to move after the elections, these are the big questions," Kaljurand said.

"If she is going to work more with the right wing, we have to be sure that there will be no backsliding on the rule of law and the protection of people's fundamental rights, that the rule of law will be preserved," she said. Kaljurand noted that the new European Parliament is likely to have a larger number of right-wing MEPs.

Paet stressed, however, that the EPP must first win the most seats in the new Parliament – which it is likely to do – and only then can von der Leyen be nominated to represent the EPP. At the same time, Paet recalled that there have been a number of surprises in recent EU leadership appointments, including von der Leyen's unexpected appointment as Commission President.

"This will become clearer after the European Parliament election results," he said.

ERR received a similar response to a request for comment from the prime minister's press service at Stenbock House.

Politico reported on Friday stating that von der Leyen's continuation in her current position is fairly certain, as in many respects there is no alternative.

European elections will be held on June 9, and EU leaders will first discuss the election results and the resulting EU leadership at an informal summit on June 17. The mid-June meeting will be in preparation for the formal European Council on June 27-28. At the Council, the leaders are expected to confirm their decision on who will be the president of the European Commission, the permanent president of the European Council, the high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy, and the president of the European Parliament for the next period. Of these, only the president of the Council does not require the approval of the European Parliament.

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