18 July 2024
On July 18, President of the European Commission Ms. Ursula von der Leyen and candidate for a second mandate presented her political priorities which she seeks to advance under her next mandate.
Ms. Ursula von der Leyen stressed that her focus would be on prosperity and competitiveness, while meeting the Green Deal objectives in a way that supports EU industry and citizens. The EU should stick to the Green Deal targets with “pragmatism, technology-neutrality and innovation”, according to the Commission President. In this context, she vowed to propose a Clean Industrial Deal in the first 100 days of her second mandate, which should direct investments towards infrastructure and industry, especially in energy-intensive sectors. In order to ensure predictability for companies, the 90% emissions reductions target for 2040 will be enshrined in the European Climate Law.
Fighting organised crime is an integral part of Von der Leyen’s political priorities. She will therefore propose to double the staff of Europol to allow the organisation to become a real operational police agency.
In order to boost competitiveness, bureaucracy must be reduced and each Commissioner will therefore be requested to assess bureaucratic reductions within his/her own portfolio. A Vice-President will be appointed to coordinate this work and to report on progress to the European Parliament on an annual basis. Another measure in this vein will be the proposal for a “European Competitiveness Fund” which will in particular aim at supporting common, cross-border projects as it should be ensured that the future of technology is made in Europe.
Von der Leyen’s full speech can be accessed here.