EU Commission President to defend record at State of the Union speech
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her annual State of the Union speech on Wednesday in Strasbourg, where she will defend her record, including the Green Deal, which remains unfinished and a source of tension less than a year before the European Parliament elections, Agerpres.ro reports.
Political manoeuvres have begun in view of the elections in June 2024, which will trigger a major change at the head of the EU institutions, and rumours are circulating about the desire of the German conservative leader to win a new five-year term.
In her annual speech to MEPs, von der Leyen is expected to focus on her actions in the face of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and the regulation of digital giants, as well as the issues on the table for the end of her mandate.
A crucial issue where her words will be closely scrutinised is EU enlargement.
The Commission is due to present its recommendations on opening accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, which were granted candidate status in June 2022. Five countries in the Western Balkans are also candidates for accession, some of which have been in negotiations with the EU for a decade.
Von der Leyen supports the need for the EU to prepare for enlargement, but without setting a deadline.
She is also expected to call on MEPs and member states to intensify their efforts to finalize the text. She hopes that the protocol of agreement for a "strategic partnership" signed in July with Tunisia could serve as a model for future agreements with countries in the region.
The speech by President von der Leyen comes at a time when her Commission has recently lost two emblematic figures: Frans Timmermans, the architect of the Green Deal and now a candidate for the position of Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and Margrethe Vestager, the Commissioner for Competition, who is running for the presidency of the European Investment Bank.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
