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It was a look back: Ursula von der Leyen’s speech on the state of the European Union in Strasbourg. The President of the EU Commission emphasized past successes in front of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.
And in her term of office so far, these have primarily been the answers to various crises. A once-in-a-century pandemic and the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022 have shaken Europe on many levels: human, economic and security policy. The otherwise often sluggish European Union reacted quickly to the war in Ukraine in particular. Despite occasional disruptive maneuvers from Hungary, the EU still appears very united when it comes to support for Ukraine. This is also a credit to the President of the Commission.
Von der Leyen can also see the so-called “Green Deal” as a European response to climate change as a success, even if the implementation of the legislative project with which the EU wants to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to zero by 2050 has recently stalled somewhat is.
Proven as a crisis manager
Ursula von der Leyen has proven herself as a crisis manager. But now it is time for the EU to prepare for the period after the turning point triggered by the Russian attack on Ukraine. This time is more geopolitical than the time before and it is unclear whether the EU is ready for it.
How should an organization be able to act geopolitically in which each of the 27 member countries can block foreign policy decisions with their veto and delay them for months or years? How can the EU bind countries like Ukraine, Moldova or the states of the Western Balkans more closely and thus contribute to stability on the continent? How does the EU want to survive in economic competition with the USA and China in the long term? These are crucial future questions for the “geopolitical EU” propagated by Ursula von der Leyen.
Problems identified, ideas for solutions missing
Ursula von der Leyen addressed all of these points in her speech: geopolitical thinking and action, competitiveness, the question of enlargement. So she recognized the problems.
But you look in vain for concrete solutions in her speech. For example, she says that the EU needs to expand, but she doesn’t say how this can be achieved. Certainly, the questions are big. They cannot be answered conclusively in a keynote speech to the EU Parliament. The power of the EU Commission and its President is also limited. In the end, the member states in the EU have the upper hand.
But what a Commission President can do: she can set the direction. It can launch ideas and legislative proposals and thus initiate reform processes. The speech in Strasbourg would have provided an opportunity for this. But Ursula von der Leyen missed this opportunity by looking back. And so it remains unclear in which direction Ursula von der Leyen intends to steer the EU should she – as many expect – run for another term in office next summer.