The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will present this Wednesday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg the annual State of the Union address, in which she will take stock of the previous year and outline the priorities for her last year in office.
In her speech to MEPs, Ursula von der Leyen is expected to address the war in Ukraine and its repercussions. Other expected topics are economic issues, particularly inflation and rising interest rates. Throughout her speech the immigration file is also worth highlighting.
These are some of the topics highlighted by the Portuguese MEPs, heard in Strasbourg by TSF on topics that, from her point of view, the President of the European Commission should not fail to highlight.
Social Democratic MEP Paulo Rangel identifies “four extremely important dimensions” in the speech of the president of the European Commission, highlighting the importance of the approach to the war in Ukraine. Rangel highlights Von der Leyen’s “charismatic leadership” and expects references to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and its post-war reconstruction. For Paulo Rangel, one of the components of Von der Leyen’s speech, a reflection should be projected on “how can we actively help Ukraine and its approach to European standards during this very difficult period?” In addition, Rangel expresses concern about inflation, interest rates and the slowdown of the economy.
Socialist MEP Margarida Marques recalls the support given to Von der Leyen four years ago by the Socialists and Democrats political group in the European Parliament and hopes to know what has been achieved “in the social, economic and environmental fields.” The MEP highlights the need to review the multiannual budget of the European Union and support the Member States.
José Gusmão, from the Bloco de Esquerda, hopes to hear some references about the economic crisis and interest rate policy. João Pimenta Lopes, PCP MEP, for his part, focuses on energy policies and housing and interest rate issues.
Nuno Melo, CDS MEP, believes that the situation in Ukraine will be “central” in the speech, also focusing on issues “almost directly related” to the war, such as energy problems, the refugee crisis and questions about the market food. .
Regarding economic issues, Paulo Rangel points out that “European citizens live in a war with inflation and the increase in interest rates and now, with the economic slowdown”, while “the European Commission confirms it in its forecasts [intercalares de verão]. Rangel highlights that, under current conditions, “citizens are suffering a lot,” and that this “can be seen in Portugal.” For this reason, he would expect “some new developments”, particularly regarding “short and medium-term measures”.
Socialist MP Margarida Marques recalls that four years ago, socialists and democrats in the European Parliament voted in favor of Von der Leyen for the presidency of the European Commission, “with certain conditions, including the social, economic and environmental fields.” As this is her “last speech on the State of the Union,” Margarida Marques hopes that the head of the community executive “explains what has been done in these areas.”
“There is a pending review of the economic governance rules and the Stability and Growth Pact, (…) it is essential that the new rules are simple, understandable and sustainable,” argues the MEP, waiting to hear a word on the matter. .
On the other hand, Margarida Marques also highlights “the need to create a permanent budgetary capacity to support Member States in terms of investments”, since “we cannot ask Member States to make important transitions and then not provide budgetary support necessary”.
Regarding the Multiannual Budget of the European Union, Margarida Marques warns of “the need to review” what was established in 2020, since, “then Covid and the war in Ukraine appeared”, and “there are exhausted budget lines and the review of the multi-annual financial budgets “A framework is needed.” “Von der Leyen is expected to address the available budgetary capacities,” he argues.
Nuno Melo hopes that Von der Leyen will also address “energy problems” in the European Union, in particular the issue of the “extension of energy subsidies.” [que] “It is currently a cause of conflict between the Commission and some countries,” he says, underlining that there is a conflict between “the countries that want to extend the aid beyond December 31” and the Commission that “wants this aid to end.”
Also referring to the “direct consequences of the war in Ukraine”, Nuno Melo expects Von der Leyen to address “issues related to the cereal food market”, in particular “in relation to fertilizers”. And, likewise, about “inflation and rising interest rates.”
The CDS MEP, Nuno Melo, considers it “inevitable” that Ukraine will be a “central” topic in the speech of the president of the European Commission, since it is the “current circumstance that most affects everyone.”
“It affects the level of values, the fight for freedoms and democratic regimes”, but also for its “consequences”, which translate into current crises such as “the refugee crisis”, with “millions of Ukrainians, welcomed in European countries”. .
The deputy of the Left Bloc, José Gusmão, considers that the war in Ukraine is one of the topics that “will surely be present in the president’s speech.” But “I would like to hear something about the signs of looming economic crisis,” he said. TSFthat is, “a signal for the European Central Bank to reverse its interest rate policy that has proven ineffective in relation to inflation”, since the slowdown in the rise in consumer prices “is associated with the fall of energy goods and, to a lesser extent, of food products”.
Regarding Housing, José Gusmão believes that “it would be an excellent signal if the President of the Commission stated that States should be able to apply measures, even if they constitute exceptions to the rules of the internal market.”
Based on previous speeches, PCP MEP João Pimenta Lopes laments that “Von der Leyen runs away from the concrete problems that people face.” An example of this is, as he points out, “energy policy issues, where billions of euros continue to be channeled to guarantee profits for large companies.”
“It is important to intervene in the energy market, in the way in which the price of electricity is set,” says Pimenta Lopes, considering it necessary to guarantee “public control of this sector” and guarantee “that wind, offshore wind and wind farm projects solar panels are the subject of an environmental impact assessment”.
On the other hand, he also identifies “interest and housing rates”, which in his opinion represent “a loss of purchasing power, a very significant increase in the cost of living, which cannot be dissociated, for example, from the increase in the cost of housing and the policies that the ECB has been implementing and proposing with the increase in interest rates”.
Paulo Rangel understands that the president of the European Commission should also talk about the issue of migration, in particular “the so-called pact for asylum, for migration, [e] see what the evolution is”, that is, “how this situation is expected to be managed”, on the different fronts, how “the humanitarian side, the labor market side, the security side, the borders, the the integration”.
Rangel also sees questions that must be answered in terms of the environment, and it is necessary to know “to what extent, in a sustainable way”, the objectives of the European Ecological Pact will be achieved, “in a way that also allows the economy not to suffer too much and “On the contrary, take advantage of what is a great opportunity for the transition towards a green economy and a green society.”
Source: TSF
