Europe's economic competitiveness is at the center of Ursula von der Leyen’s priorities for her second term as President of the European Commission, according to Coface. The “Green Deal”, however, is losing importance.
Ursula von der Leyen appears to place Europe's economic competitiveness at the center of her priorities for her second term as President of the European Commission. While the Green Deal remains on the agenda, its significance and focus are evolving.
The inauguration of the new EU Commission under President von der Leyen is scheduled on 1 November. The guidelines already outlined show that the political landscape in Europe has shifted since the last term of office. One reason for this is the growing influence of the Conservatives following their successful results in the European elections. While the Green Deal remains in place, the European Commission's agenda will focus less on climate and environmental policy and more on economic competitiveness.
Ursula von der Leyen's first term in office was marked by the introduction of a recovery plan following the Covid-19 pandemic. Some EU countries are also pushing for a new plan, but such a measure is not currently foreseen. The Commission's agenda, on the other hand, focused on two interconnected issues: Competitiveness and the reformed Green Deal, which reiterates the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 90 per cent by 2040. According our experts, a new Clean Industrial Deal is now intended to drive decarbonization and industrial growth. This will also bolster the importance of technological innovation.
In future, the Commission will also address a completely new topic, housing, which in principle does not fall within its remit. A new Commission post and a plan to boost investment in affordable housing have been announced; a gesture to the socialist group in parliament, among others.
In her inaugural speech to the European Parliament on 18 July, von der Leyen said: “Our first priority will be prosperity and competitiveness.” The competitiveness of European industry is at risk of falling behind the United States and China, she warned.
(Picture: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu)
