(Strasbourg) “Let’s get to work”: the message that Ursula von der Leyen, president-elect of the European Commission, addressed to the European Parliament in her speech, before the plenary vote on her College of Commissioners, is “simple”. The German politician sees the EU as a leading “force for peace” in the name of “multilateralism”; she told the Balkan countries that the EU’s “door remains open” (“we will share the same destiny”); she admitted to “some issues” with the United States, but – she said – “our bonds” are “stronger than any individual point of discord”. She then focused on the Green Deal, one of the priorities of her programme, for which Frans Timmermans, “the right person” – as she called him -, will take responsibility. For each item on the agenda, she named the Commissioners responsible and their portfolios. Keywords in her speech include innovation, energy transition, investment, supporting the economy, trade, transport, digitalisation (“we must master new technologies, invest in artificial intelligence”, handle data responsibly – data protection -, ensure cybersecurity). The EU’s multiannual budget (MFF) is not “a simple accounting exercise”, since “the world seven years ago looks nothing like the world” in 2027. She defended the social market economy, promised “flexibility” but called for “sound public finances”. Italian Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni will be responsible for this (“he believes in it and I believe in him”).