European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday (11/27/2024) that her first major action in her second term will be a new strategy to promote European competitiveness, based on the key elements of the Draghi report, to bridge the innovation gap that separates Europe from China and the United States while reducing the bloc’s dependence on third markets.
She said this in her speech in Strasbourg (France) in the debate before the European Parliament’s plenary vote at midday on whether the new executive, von der Leyen, with the Spaniard Teresa Ribera as First Vice-President for a clean, fair and competitive transition and Commissioner for Competition is approved.
The German politician has described this “roadmap” as a “compass for competitiveness”, which will be “the first important initiative” of her new college of commissioners, which will begin its work this Sunday, December 1st, when it meets in Strasbourg is confirmed by the majority support of the “populares”, the socialists and the European liberals as well as part of the Greens and the ultra-conservatives of the EKR.
This new competition agenda, said von der Leyen, will be based on the pillars identified by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in his report on the challenges facing the EU, which aim, as a first step, to “overcome the gap that has left us separates itself from the United States and China when it comes to innovation.”
The second pillar, said the EU executive chief, is based on developing a common plan for decarbonization and competitiveness, while the third pillar points to the need to “strengthen security and reduce dependencies”.
This very decarbonization plan, which Von der Leyen promised to present in her first 100 days in office, is one of the main tasks that Ribera will take on when she takes office as vice president of the executive branch. The President of the European Commission, who has promised to govern “from the center” and with all “pro-European” forces in her second term, warned that in the current geopolitical situation “every weakness will be exploited” and “every dependency will be exploited”. , which is why European “freedom and sovereignty” “depend more than ever on our economic strength”.
Von der Leyen also described her next First Vice President, Spain’s Teresa Ribera, as a “real and committed” European with whom she would “always” work in the European interest and who will be responsible for competition and a clean, fair and competitive transition .
With these words she introduced them in her speech to the plenary session of the European Parliament, which is voting on the confirmation of the new college of commissioners, which, if the forecasts are correct, will be supported by a sufficient majority of the European “populares”, socialists and liberals – plus votes the Greens and some conservatives and reformists – will be supported to succeed the outgoing executive on Sunday December 1st.
“She is well prepared to ensure we have a modern competition policy that supports our ambitions. She is a true and dedicated European,” said von der Leyen of Ribera, who was present in the chamber with the rest of the college and whose appointment was applauded by a large number of MEPs present.
“Together we will always work for the European interest,” said Von der Leyen, who also wanted to make it clear that she is sticking to her commitment to present the previously announced clean industry pact in the first 100 days of her term in office to lift the block on investment, create leading markets for clean technologies and create the conditions for European companies to grow and compete with rivals in China or the United States.
The adoption of Von der Leyen’s second EU executive and its start on December 1st was in jeopardy for days last week because the European People’s Party vetoed Ribera’s handling of the DANA and the Social Democrats gave the ultra-conservative Italian candidate Raffaele Fitto a veto wanted to grant vice-presidency. The agreement on a legislative period with a “pro-European” agenda between the “populares”, the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the European Parliament finally made it possible to lift both vetoes without changing the competencies of Ribera or Fitto.
Source: Agencies
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