STRASBOURG – In her annual State of the Union speech delivered today in the European Parliament, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that the future of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova is in the EU. Her remarks on enlargement were comparatively short.
“Honourable Members, when we talk about independence, we are talking about choosing our destiny. That is what Ukraine is fighting for. And that is what all Europeans deserve. Because Europe is an idea – the idea of freedom and mutual strength. This was the idea that drove the post-1989 generation. When East and West came together. And it is as powerful now – as it was then. This is why we are bringing future Member States closer to our Union”, von der Leyen said.
She said that this means investing, supporting reforms and integrating into the Single Market.
“We must keep up the speed on this merits-based process. Because only a united – and a reunited – Europe can be an independent Europe”, she said.
“A larger and stronger Union is a security guarantee for all of us. And because for Ukraine, for Moldova, for the Western Balkans – their future is in our Union. Let’s make the next reunification of Europe happen”, von der Leyen concluded.
Unlike most other aspects of her speech, there were no outlines of specific activities that the Commission was going to take in the area of enlargement.
At the end of the speech, Ursula von der Leyen also stated that the Commission and Parliament will work on “the real reforms that are needed” and that the EU needed to move to a qualified majority in some areas, for example, in foreign policy. This is often regarded as one of the preconditions for a future enlargement.
Von der Leyen began her speech with the EU’s support to the defence capabilities of Ukraine and its own defence, with the proposal of new programs, as well as a roadmap for new common defence projects.
Regarding the situation in the Middle East, von der Leyen announced that the Commission will put bilateral support to Israel on hold and propose sanctions on the extremist ministers and on violent settlers, as well as a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade-related matters.
“Europe’s goal has always been the same. Real security for Israel and a safe present and future for all Palestinians”, she said.
Other parts of the speech focused on raising the EU’s competitiveness, including in the area of Artificial Intelligence, the implementation of Europe’s Green Deal, international trade and migration management.
