“For the first time in decades our freedom is threatened”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenfaces elections on Thursday on which the continuity of her mandate at the head of the Commission depends. Von der Leyen is going into the vote with a delicate majorityalthough it is expected that he will be able to find new support both among the Greens and in the ECR (Group of European Conservatives and Reformists), to whom he has shown his intention to reach joint agreements, unlike other far-right groups such as the Patriots for Europe of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, or the Europe of Sovereign Nations of the ultra-party Alternative for Germany, who he considers to be more pro-Russian and Eurosceptic.

Von der Leyen seeks to repeat the coalition for the second time between the ‘popular’, socialists and liberals who have supported her since 2019, and together they have a total of 401 seats out of the 720 that make up the hemicycle. However, the current president needs to accumulate 361 votes in favor to be re-elected, which forces her to seek support outside the centrist political options and explore what ECR offers her, to prevent any unforeseen events, since the vote is anonymous.

A speech in the European Parliament

The President of the Commission has given a speech before the European Parliament in which she took the opportunity, first of all, to thank the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, for the “exceptional work” she has been doing these years in the “house of democracy”. She then made a speech A review of what his mandate has been like during these last five yearshighlighting the tense situations arising from the Ukrainian War, such as the moments experienced with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, or the memory of Navalny, leader of the Russian opposition, who died in unknown circumstances.

Choices are the hinges of destiny.

Let us make the choice of strength, of leadership and of Europe.

My address as candidate for the Presidency of the @EU_Commission ↓ https://t.co/ZSgqha8PY4

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 18, 2024

During his speech, he repeatedly stressed the importance of the elections to be held on July 18 at 1:00 p.m. “Elections are the anchor of destinythe European destiny depends on and is anchored to our future decisions,” were the words of the president on what is at stake this afternoon, and she continued saying: “Europe cannot control the world’s dictators, but it can protect its own democracy“, thus asking for the support of those present in order to be able to face the external threats surrounding Europe. She has repeatedly asked MEPs to trust her. so that, under his command, Europe can rise to the challenges it faces: “Europe cannot stop change, but it can invest in a new era of prosperity, improving the quality of life of all citizens.” And he assured that Your priority is “prosperity”.

New commissioners

Von der Leyen has promised to create Two new portfolios for Commissioners for Housing and the Mediterraneanwhich are added to the new position responsible for Defense which he announced during the campaign if he were to renew his mandate.

“Europe faces a housing crisiswhich affects people of all ages and families of all sizes; prices and rents are skyrocketing and people are struggling to find affordable housing. This is why, for the first time, I will appoint a Commissioner directly responsible for Housing,” she said, expressing her concern for the crisis situation faced by many citizens. In addition, she thus meets the expectations of the socialists in order to gain their support in the vote. This new position is accompanied, as the president explained, by a European Plan for Affordable Housing, which will work on all the factors of the crisis.

Although he has admitted that “Housing is not a European issue”since this is a responsibility of the governments of the Member States, and aware that there will be those who consider that Brussels “should not get involved”, Von der Leyen has defended that this Commission “supports people where it matters most”, because “If it matters to Europeans, it matters to Europe”so that every region in every part of Europe can feel “integrated”.

On the other hand, he referred to the new Mediterranean commission in relation to the migration policyhas warned that it is necessary to find a “common approach to returns” of irregular migrants so that they are “more effective and dignified”, but, at the same time, to strengthen agreements with third countries. He recalled that all this will be from solidarity, and based on European values“Immigrants are people, just like all of us. There are those who think that immigration is divisive, but it is not.”

This commissioner, whose identity is unknown, would work hand in hand with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, a position for which Estonian Kaja Kallas has been nominated.

Defense against external threats

Von der Leyen, in line with conservative politics, has announced that if she is re-elected she will triple the staff of the European border and coastguard corps (Frontex) to ensure up to 30,000 agents ready to be deployed in crisis situations or to deal with possible “hybrid attacks or provocations.”Ladies and gentlemen, we need to invest more in security and defence.. Russia continues its offensive in Ukraine,” he has now expressed his censure, without naming it directly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who travelled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, against the position of the European Union: “Russia wants to take advantage of Europe’s supposed weakness and some are playing along“. He recalled that, two days after this “peace mission” which was actually “a mission of appeasement”, Russia bombed a children’s hospital in kyiv“This attack was not a mistake. It was a chilling message from the Kremlin” and has announced that its response must be equally clear: “Europe will support Ukraine as long as necessary“That’s our message.”

Today, @EU_Commission endorsements releasing nearly €4.2 billion to Ukraine under the #UkraineFacility.

Once adopted by the Council, total EU funding to Ukraine under the Facility will reach €12bn.

The EU continues to firmly support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and path to the EU.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 17, 2024

“I will not accept extremists or demagogues when they want to destroy our way of life.“The President thus stressed her concern for the future of the European way of life.

“For the first time in decades our freedom is threatenedprotecting Europe is our obligation,” Von der Leyen has expressed her concern about the Russian threat and her intention to increase defense spending to defend all Europeans: “Defense funds are very weak, we depend a lot on foreigners, we need a single defense market.” This would be the response to this “growing threat” and she hopes that the police can “working in a Europe without borders”has also highlighted the value of the NATO as one of the “pillars” of the continent’s defense.

“Secure borders allow for better management of immigration” The president recalled, in addition to insisting that “the border of a Member State is a European border”stressing the importance of increasing control over the geographical boundaries of each European country in the face of threats from external agents, such as Russia.

Despite strengthening the defence of the borders, Von der Leyen has recalled that “neighbourhood” is part of the future of Europe, and that is why she has stressed that “Inviting countries to join the European Union is a moral, historical and political obligation”because it will be a larger union, it will be a stronger union, and in this way Europe’s dependence on other countries can be reduced. He has stated that accession will always be based on merit and that they will make sure that countries are always ready to join the European Union.

Green policies

One of the issues that the president has insisted on the most is that of the ecology and sustainabilityIf elected, Von der Leyen will launch a new initiative in the first 100 days of her mandate Clean Industry Pact to support companies in decarbonisation. The aim will be to support companies and create the right conditions to achieve common goals.

The German proposes legislation for an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator that supports companies in the Green transition by directing investments to infrastructure and industryparticularly in energy-intensive sectors.

He recalled that Europe “Attracts More Clean Hydrogen Investments Than the United States and China Combined“and that this new industry pact will reduce the energy bill. Von der Leyen has assured that changes must happen in Europe and that they want to ensure a boost to new clean technologies. The president has stressed that it is the SMEs that support the European economy, and that this new mandate has to be that of the “investments” so that the startups Europeans can come to Europe to satisfy their needs, and not have to go to other foreign countries to do so.

Also has reached out to all farmers in Europeas he has stated that “agriculture is fundamental for the future” and wants to establish a “strategic dialogue for the future of this sector.” Farmers will be able to sit at a negotiating tablewhere the president will collect “the best recommendations to develop a new strategy to improve agriculture.”

He said that this initiative will respond to a fundamental problem: “No one should be forced to sell good quality products below their price.“. Von der Leyen also recalled that “The face of landscapes is changing and we need to be prepared for climate change“and that is why the Agriculture Plan will be presented, “to seek a sustainable approach and address this issue in depth”

The future of Europe

Von der Leyen also spoke about European youth and expressed her concern about the “mental health crisis“, since the time that teenagers spend in front of the screen has played a very important role in the rates of self-harm and suicide: “I think it is a devastating situation, we cannot continue like this, we must start the First study on the impact of social media on young people’s well-being“I want Europe to be the best place to grow up and grow old. I want us to be able to protect teenagers at a time of enormous vulnerability,” said the president. She also spoke about the worrying increase in violence against women and that, during her mandate, they have jointly achieved great progress in women’s rights: “There is no longer any argument for why a woman should be paid less.”

Finally, the president has assured that “Democracy is our common treasure“It is the framework within which our differences can be expressed, a framework as vital as it is fragile.”

“Progress is a constant work that we have to do.“That is why the project has to be ambitious. Reforms were necessary before, but now they are indispensable,” said Ursula von der Leyen in her speech, recalling that she plans to implement various measures to improve the lives of Europeans.