Congratulations after the vote included one declaring “welcome home” to the former German Defense Minister who was born in Brussels 60 years ago.

It was a narrow win for Ursula von der Leyen. She drew 383 votes in the European Parliament in Strasbourg  – nine more than the absolute majority she required to be confirmed as the first woman to head the EU, succeeding Jean-Claude Juncker.

It is short of the 400 votes that would have given her a stable majority to get her policies through parliament.

Von der Leyen says she’s leading a Europe ready to fight for its future rather nations fighting against each other.

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World leaders with them will pledge action to eliminate terrorism, violence and extremism from social media and other online platforms.

The meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is entitled Christchurch Call after the gunning down of 51 worshippers at two mosques in that city in March by a white extremist.

It also brings in Macron’s Tech For Good project.

In attendance are Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Union Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker.

Twitter founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey is there along with Nick Clegg, the former deputy British Prime Minister whose become Facebook’s vice president for international affairs.

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President of the European Council Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are attending.

This is the first summit between these strategic partners since 2013.

South Africa is the only African country that has relations with the EU at this level and one of 10 internationally.

Their relationship is moving from one of dependency to partnership.

With economy topping the agenda,  President Cyril Ramaphosa will have another opportunity to showcase South Africa as an investment destination as part of his plans to draw a trillion rand into the country over the next five years.

The summit will also deal with international challenges like climate change, migration and human rights.

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He will also attend the seventh South Africa- European Union summit in Brussels.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg tomorrow. 

He’ll meet the President of that body Antonio Tajani.

He then heads for Brussels where he will meet the King Philippe Léopold Louis Marie of the Belgians and the Prime Minister Charles Michel.

He will also have talks with the Minister President of Flanders Geert Bourgeois.

At the SA-EU summit on Thursday he’ll see the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

South Africa is the only African state, and one of ten worldwide, to have a strategic partnership with the EU.

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Speaking in Strasbourg he says Europe must end its donor/recipient relationship with Africa and become partners with its neighboring continent.

Jean-Claude Juncker says EU members must help each other implement the standing rules on the treatment of migrants.

Italy’s right-wing government is threatening to close its doors if the EU does not ease what it maintains is an overload of African migrants crossing from Libya.

Addressing  the rise of  far right groups in Europe, Juncker says the 28-nation grouping must say no to unhealthy nationalism.

It must  remain open and committed to multinationalism – even if some partners chose other routes. 

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Closer examination shows there’s a tragic contradiction in the figures he cites in his state of union speech.

The number of people who succumb while making the crossing from Africa into Europe has indeed gone down in 2017.

But for those who brave the Mediterranean in unseaworthy boats the risk of dying  is greater.

The International Organization for migration figures show the number of arrivals have fallen more sharply than the number of deaths.

In 2015,  268 migrants arrived safely for every death.

Last year that figure was 70.

This year its fallen even further to 50.

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