Autocracy versus Democracy

Recently, the President of the Commission of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, gave her annual address on the State of the Union 2022. It is amazing that this speech was available in Irish simultaneously with the original version. It is available online here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_22_5493.

I encourage you to read it! Here are my five highlights from her speech!

The courage to stand up to our heroes

Early in the speech, von der Leyen bluntly said: “This is not just a war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. It is a war against our energy, against our economy, against our values ​​and against our future. Autocracy versus democracy. As I stand here, it is my strong opinion that Putin will fail and Europe will have the day, thanks to our courage and solidarity.”

She then praised the people of Ukraine: “Today we have a unique example of courage, and that example is Ukraine.” And she emphasized the relationship between Ukraine and the EU: “Ukraine is a long-lasting legacy, a country full of European heroes. Slava Ukraini! The solidarity between Europe and Ukraine will remain forever.”

We need to get rid of the dependency

The dependency in question here is dependence on fossil fuels from Russia.

“As a result,” said von der Leyen, “gas prices are 10 times higher than they were before the pandemic. Millions of businesses and millions of families are struggling to make ends meet. That is why we are promoting measures for Member States to reduce their overall electricity consumption.” Then, the President laid down plans to control electricity prices.

Preparing for the energy future

Von der Leyen said that there was a lot going on in Europe in terms of offshore wind energy (in the North and Baltic Seas), new design solar panels (in Sicily), and especially in terms of trains using green hydrogen as fuel. According to her, hydrogen can fundamentally change the European market. This is what she said: “We need to make hydrogen a big market rather than a niche market. For that reason I can announce today that we are going to set up a new European Hydrogen Bank. The Bank will be able to invest €3 billion to develop the future hydrogen market.”

It will be very interesting to see how this venture turns out.

How to stand up for our Democracy

von der Leyen promised to tackle the threats from within with a Defense of Democracy package. “We will not allow the Trojan horses of any autocracy to attack our democracies from within,” the President asserted.

As everyone knows, the Union has struggled to address democratic backsliding in several Member States, notably Poland and Hungary.

Although the President did not mention any member states in particular, she said that payments under the common EU budget will continue to be linked to judicial independence and the rule of law.

Rethinking our foreign policy

“This is the time to invest in the power of our democracy,” said von der Leyen. This effort, she said, should start in the immediate vicinity of the block. “I want the people of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to know: you are part of our family, you are the future of our union, and our union is not complete without you,” she declared.

von der Leyen threw her support behind the idea of ​​establishing a European Political Community, an initiative proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Since we are serious about a larger union, we must be serious about reform,” she said.

“Therefore, as this Parliament has requested, I believe the time has come for a European Convention.”

Conclusion

von der Leyen put a lot of meat on the bones of the plans for the future of the Union. Her speech was a vision statement and if her vision is realized, the European Union will be more independent, more powerful and more dominant on the world stage than ever before. A new balance of power would be in place in Europe and the world, and with it there would be a better chance that our democratic system will flourish for a long time.

Long live the EU!

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