European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her campaign visits to European cities, has outlined the key messages of her policy if re-elected, according to Euractiv.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her campaign visits to Split, Rome, Copenhagen said that competitiveness, defence, foreign interference, and protecting nature are the main priorities in her campaign. If she is re-elected, these messages will be among her top priorities, which will probably determine the reshuffling of her portfolio and the composition of the College of Commissioners.
The candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP) for the presidency of the Commission ran on overarching political themes during her speeches in Split, Rome and Copenhagen during 11-15 May.
Investment in defence
In Split, Croatia, von der Leyen reminded the audience of the devastation wrought by the Croatian war of independence in the late 20th century and the war in Ukraine. She said it would be a priority to appoint a “full-time” defence commissioner. According to her, the commission would work to increase production and funding for the defence industry.
We need to invest more in European defence, so we invest billions that also create good jobs for Europe, she told the audience of ‘Che tempo che fa’, a famous TV show with a centre-left audience.
The post could have been given to a Baltic or Eastern European country to emphasise their continued support for Ukraine, although some Western capitals have resisted doing so because of their belligerent attitudes towards Russia. Poland has already signalled its interest in the post.
Competitiveness and Capital Markets Union
The competitiveness of the Europesian Union’s internal market and the finalisation of the Capital Markets Union (CMU) are two policy points she repeatedly mentioned.
Von der Leyen said Brussels needs to “get better” at attracting private investment by finalising CMU, one of the key lessons from the Enricco Letta report. CMU has also become a hot topic among European finance ministers, who are now thinking about what concrete next steps should be taken.
She expressed the need to help European industry. According to her, enhancing competitiveness is possible by cutting red tape and protecting against foreign unfair trade practices. “If we protect someone, we should protect Europe and Europeans first.”
She agreed in an interview with Italian television, the need to protect European industry precisely from China, as the country subsidises its industry too much, which then floods the European market with cheap products that outperform local companies (dumping). She stated: “We cannot let the Chinese conquer our market like this.”
Protection of nature
She continued to reiterate the need to protect nature, praising the local environment while reaffirming her determination to move from Green Deal policy development to implementation.
We know, also, that what we have to do is on one hand reduce CO2 emissions and on the other hand, protect nature, the beautiful nature you have here, for example, in Split, she told a Croatian youth group.
Despite the fact that the CDU voted against the Nature Restoration Act along with other EPP members, a statement she repeated in Italy too, this time praising the “olive groves and cypress trees” and Italy’s “wonderful mountains, lakes, and sea.”
Von der Leyen intends to move from green policy formulation to implementation, responding to negative reactions from farmers and member states who claim a heavy burden imposed by Brussels. Remarkably, however, “implementation” could mean a weakening of green policies – especially those affecting farmers. She stated:
Now it is a matter of moving on to implementation (…) we have very concrete talks with industry, with small and medium-sized enterprises, but also with farmers, for example, to understand what they need, and how we can help them precisely because we can achieve these common goals together, according to her in Italy, after holding a closed-door meeting with the agricultural industry lobby, along with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
The European Union is relaxing environmental rules under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), despite warnings from environmental NGOs. Earlier, the president announced that she would abandon a planned law to cut pesticide use in half by 2030.
Combatting foreign interference
On her visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday (14 May), just after Rome, von der Leyen pledged to step up the fight against foreign interference with a new policy package she called the Shield of European Democracy.
“I believe Europe now needs its own dedicated structure for countering foreign interference. It will pool the necessary expertise and link up and coordinate with existing national agencies,” she said.
In all her visits to young people and speeches to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, she repeated that Russia posed a real threat, with a particular focus on the country’s efforts to spread disinformation in the run-up to the June elections.
Therefore, it has become a key campaign theme for her and other candidates following the increasing incidents of espionage and online disinformation in recent months, such as the alleged involvement of European politicians in a pro-Russian propaganda network.
