Von der Leyen Prepares for Challenging State of the Union Address โฃAmidst EU Divisions
Facingโฃ a deeply polarized European Parliament and growing discontent with herโค leadership, European Commission President Ursula von der โLeyen is preparing to deliver herโค annual State of the Union address today. โThe speech,traditionally marking โคthe resumption โคof EU work after the summer โคrecess,is anticipated to โfocus on the need for swift action and unity to defend European values in a turbulent global โขlandscape.
Von der Leyen has been actively engaging with leaders of political groups in advance of the address, particularly focusing on maintaining the support of the European People’s Party (PPE), Socialists, Liberals, and Greens – the core coalition thatโ broughtโฃ her to power. While the European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group has โฃcontributed to โsome initiatives, support from nationalist parties remains absent.
Key policy areas expected โto beโ addressed include the green Deal, with von der Leyen signaling her commitment to climate action in pre-speech communications, referencing recent natural disasters and โขwildfiresโฃ across Europe.
The EU’s position โon the conflict in Gaza and ongoing trade disputes โฃare also high on the agenda. The commission โฃacknowledges widespread dissatisfaction with the EU’s stance on the Middle East, but pointsโ to divisions within the European Council as the primaryโฃ obstacle โขto a unified response,โค hindering the possibilityโ of unanimityโข or even a qualified majority.
Regardingโฃ trade duties, the Commission maintains its position that theโ agreement reached with the United States on August 1stโ represents the โขbest possible outcome, despite concerns from within the Parliament. EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic recently confirmed that Washington is implementing both exemptions and a 15% tariff on automobiles. Though, this hasโ not quelled criticism, particularly from โSocialist members like Stefano Bonaccini, who stated the agreement is “not fair” and requires modification.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has indicated that Parliament isโค not seeking a “Christmas list” of promises fromโฃ von der Leyen, but rather a thorough discourse on the EU’s role in theโ world.
The President is expected to reiterateโ her commitment to defence, continued support for Ukraine, andโ initiativesโค to boost Europeanโฃ competitiveness through โderegulation. A key โchallenge will be โขaddressing the โslow implementation of recommendations โfrom the Draghi Report โคon competitiveness. A study by the European Policy Innovation โฃCouncil reveals that only one in ten recommendations โขfrom the report have been implemented to date, prompting potential reflection within the Commission.
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