Today the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered his annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, probably ignored by most European citizens, but eagerly awaited by the world of politics, experts and European and international observers. This was the last speech before the next European elections in June 2024, and as expected the President first of all illustrated the results of her mandate for the creation of a ‘Green, digital and geopolitical unionclaiming a 90% success rate compared to commitments made in 2019.
The Commission budget 2019-2024
Among the milestones, von der Leyen cited the response to theRussian aggression of Ukrainethe reaction to competition from Chinaespecially through initiatives to make the EU more independent in the raw materials and semi-conductor sectors, the Green Dealthe start of digital transitionil Next Generation EUthe initiatives ongender equality and against the violence against women. In her speech, the President spoke to the young generations, she dedicated a moving memory to the Ukrainian activist and writer Victoria Amelina killed by Russian bombs last July in Kramators’k, she sought the support of the European Parliament several times for future political and legislative battles.
There were many topics addressed, but three aspects in particular are worthy of note to understand what the European Commission intends for the next 300 days that separate us from the elections, but perhaps also in the next legislature if, as it seemed from the tone and the horizon of his speech, Ursula von der Leyen should reapply to lead the European executive.
The three key points of von Der Leyen’s programme
The first concerns the assertive tone and the proposals regarding competitiveness to counteract theChinese economic and trade offensive. Keeping the objective of the ecological transition firm, von der Leyen insisted on the need to support theeuropean industryin particular the technological one, but also the agricultural and manufacturing sectorsand to strengthen dialogue for a fair and just process, enhancing the role of social actors and helping small and medium-sized enterprises by simplifying European and national procedures.
Obviously, this strategy also requires substantial joint investments, starting from STEP platform to strengthen the production of strategic technologies with a potential financing of 160 billion euros already launched by the European Commission, but above all through new resources for the Union budget for which not only the support of the European Parliament is needed, but also a difficult agreement between the member states.
The name of appears again Mario Draghiwho is entrusted with an important report on the future of European competitiveness. The accusations leveled at China were harsh, and accompanied by the announcement of an investigation into subsidies for electric vehicles to limit the distortion of the global market and protect the European market. The EU also aims to strengthen anti-Chinese alliances, in particular with the United States, Australia and Japan, with new free trade agreements from Latin America to the Indo-Pacificand with the new economic corridor between India, the Middle East and Europe signed on the sidelines of the G20 meetings in New Delhi.
Il second concerns the European projection towards the southern neighbourhood, which the President essentially divides into two priorities. First, you reaffirmed a European security approach in the Sahel region, underlining the need to react to the instability recently marked by the coup in Niger, the growing Russian influence and the terrorist threat with the same unity of purpose shown towards Ukraine. He also announced, without specifying it better, a new strategic approach for Africa to be presented at the next summit between the EU and the African Union. Secondly, he stressed the importance of external dimension of the migration phenomenonannouncing a conference to fight human trafficking and simultaneously praising the recent agreement with the authoritarian government in Tunis, calling it a model for future partnerships. The agreement, promoted together with Giorgia Meloni and to the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is actually open to criticism from many aspects, from that of effectiveness (with a peak in departures from Tunisia recorded in the last two months) to that of respect for human rights (in particular with the rejections in the desert between Tunisia and Libya). On the domestic front, he urged the ratification of the New Pact for Migration and Asylum and the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area.
The third concerns the change of pace on prospect of enlargement to Ukraine, Moldova, the Western Balkans and potentially Georgia, which is relaunched and defined as a strategic interest of the Union. Gone are the days of uncertainty about the need to offer a European perspective to the countries of the Eastern Neighborhood and the Balkan region, and the President stigmatizes the binary approach between deepening and widening. The latter can in fact become a catalyst for change for the Union, which must be put in a position to function even with more than 30 member states. To do this, the Commission will conduct an examination of pre-enlargement policies to evaluate their impact also from a budgetary point of view, but the President does not rule out a more radical process of modifying the Treaties through the convening of a convention.
Von der Leyen’s final exhortation was to think bigbut the recipes he proposes seem to go in the direction of a Europe that still struggles to find its autonomy from a strategic point of view and an effective and sustainable international positioning. Maybe it’s time for a change in leadership too.