For a politician who gained’t say if she plans to run for reelection, Ursula von der Leyen positive sounds lots like a candidate.
Her State of the European Union speech, delivered Wednesday morning in Strasbourg, was as shut as you will get to a marketing campaign launch in need of unveiling a “Make Europe Nice Once more” baseball cap — right down to the way in which she handed out political items to each group that will have a say in her reelection.
Take her fairly blatant outreach to European conservatives.
Whereas the selection of who turns into the following Fee president will finally be made by European heads of state and authorities someday subsequent summer season, von der Leyen nonetheless must lock in help from her personal political household, the European Folks’s Social gathering (EPP).
It’s the largest political group within the European Parliament and is more likely to stay so after the election in June, regardless of massive losses since 2019.
Von der Leyen didn’t disappoint her brethren.
Tossing out purple meat to conservatives who’ve been waging guerilla warfare in Parliament towards the Fee’s Inexperienced Deal environmental program, von der Leyen stated: “As we enter the following part of the European Inexperienced Deal, one factor won’t ever change: We’ll preserve supporting European business all through this transition.”
In different phrases: Fear not, fellow conservatives. Even when Brussels says it needs to ban the combustion engine by 2035, I’ll discover a means of preserving your carmakers and heavy business in enterprise.
The Fee chief additionally had some selection phrases for EPP chief Manfred Weber, the Bavarian politician who has turn into a significant headache for von der Leyen ever since he began attacking Brussels’ environmental insurance policies and championing the European farmer.
Switching to German, von der Leyen stated: “I want to take this chance to specific my appreciation to our farmers. I’m and stay satisfied that agriculture and safety of the pure world can go hand in hand.”
The overture to Europe’s conservatives didn’t go unnoticed. Thanasis Bakolas, secretary common of the EPP, lauded her speech in a tweet as a “testomony to the management, willpower, pragmatism, effectiveness and resolve of @EPP within the EU establishments and throughout Europe.”
Reacting from the Parliament flooring, Weber was somewhat less effusive, insisting on what he stated was the necessity to create a “European protection union” — a subject that hadn’t rated a point out from von der Leyen. However he managed to summon some reward for her strategy to enlargement: “Sure, Ursula, the enlargement course of is vital and we help your idea in direction of Western Balkan, Ukraine, and Moldova,” he stated.
The Fee chief had additionally packed items for the 2 different massive political teams whose help she’d must win reelection: French President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal Renew Europe group, and the Socialists and Democrats of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The largest one was for Macron. As first reported by POLITICO, Paris has been pushing exhausting for the Fee to open an anti-subsidy investigation towards imported Chinese language electrical automobiles. Different international locations met the push from Paris with skepticism.
However von der Leyen — who owes her present job, largely, to Macron — brushed apart their issues and stated: “I can announce at present that the Fee is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electrical automobiles coming from China. Europe is open for competitors. Not for a race to the underside.”
The taking was much less fruitful for the socialists, although some will discover consolation in von der Leyen’s pledge to stay by the primary pillars of the Inexperienced Deal and reform the authorized framework for migration into the European Union.
After which there may be the necessary matter of what von der Leyen did not say, particularly on the vexing matter of rule-of-law contained in the Union. Brussels is locked in a battle of wills, and legal professionals, with the populist right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland, each of which have repeatedly and brazenly defied the authority of European judges.
However von der Leyen omitted to say the identify of both nation throughout the rule-of-law passages in her speech. That may very well be right down to momentary reminiscence loss — or a easy calculation that she is healthier off avoiding a viral video clip of her criticizing two international locations whose help she’ll want in Council to win a second time period within the Berlaymont.
Three diplomats famous that von der Leyen had “performed it secure” in her last State of the European Union.
One added laconically: “It’s an election yr, in any case.”
A veteran conservative who watched the speech got here away with the sensation that von der Leyen was not simply contemplating a bid for reelection. She was already on the marketing campaign path.
“It was all finally ends up a marketing campaign speech,” stated Dara Murphy, a former marketing campaign director for the EPP and now senior adviser at Rasmussen International. “There’s now little question” that she is going to run, though, he added: “She gained’t publicly declare something.”
Sarah Wheaton and Jacopo Barigazzi contributed reporting.