EU: Von der Leyen Anti-Socialist Speech! 14.9.2023)

Qin Yan, a carbon analyst based in Oslo with financial data provider Refinitiv, said Von der Leyen emphasized staying course on Green Deal, but did not mention many concrete measures.

“Instead, she has continued to tone on ‘de-risking’ from China and solid supply chain etc, and the launch of an anti-subsidy investigation of Chinese EVs, as France requested,” Qin said.

“So this is more of a campaign speech with lots of China bashing than delivering concrete measures regarding the Green Deal.”

Ryszard Legutko, co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists, lashed out in front of von der Leyen.

“Is the EU in better shape today than 15 years ago? The answer is an emphatic no,” he said. “Something is rotten in the State of the Union. There is more than ever instability, tension and uncertainty.”

“As expected lots of self-congratulatory statements,” Bas Eickhout, a Dutch MEP of the Greens Group, wrote on X.

“But for the future? Very meager on Green Deal, lots of competitiveness bullshit bingo and very many dialogues. This is more an EPP Spitzenkandidatin speech …” he said, clearly referring to von der Leyen who has come under great pressure under her own European People’s Party on climate and migration policies.