On Wednesday, September 13, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the European Union (SOTEU) speech in the European Parliament, last one before the European elections next June.

The upcoming elections set the tone for her speech, which starkly differed from the one last year.

Ukraine was not only mentioned in 2022 but was the report’s central topic. However, this year, references to Ukraine in the first 50 minutes of her speech could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Even those were fleeting.

Last year, Ursula delivered her speech dressed in blue and yellow colours – a trend supported by several MEPs and commissioners. This year, you couldn't find even a hint of the usual pins and support for Ukraine in the looks of the President of the European Commission, politicians, and officials.

Nothing remained from last year's message about a European Union that is also at war.

A war alongside Ukraine and against Putin, who uses all the levers to undermine security on the European continent.

What came to the forefront were challenges related to climate change and the implementation of the Green Deal, support for European industry in the climate transition, gender equality, competition, and threats related to artificial intelligence, as well as the question of EU enlargement.

This year's address has the subtitle: "Answering the call of history." As von der Leyen explained, many saw the European Union as a response to the call of history after World War II.

 "When I speak to the new generation of young people, I see that same vision for a better future. That same burning desire to build something better. That same belief that in a world of uncertainty, Europe once again must answer the call of history," said the President of the European Commission.

Completing the Union

One of the responses to the call of history, according to von der Leyen, should be the future EU enlargement, which she calls "completing the Union." She dedicated a significant portion of her speech to this topic.

"History is now calling us to work on completing our Union. In a world where some are trying to pick off countries one by one, we cannot afford to leave our fellow Europeans behind," she said.

This appeal reminds us of the previously expressed position that the future of Ukraine, Moldova, the Western Balkans, and Georgia lies in the European Union. However, Georgia was not explicitly mentioned in this context. Von der Leyen only emphasised the importance of the European perspective for the Georgian people.

Regarding Ukraine, the President of the European Commission acknowledged that it has made significant progress on the path to EU membership after following its candidate status obtained in June 2022.

However, full EU accession is a merit-based process.

In her view, the EU should not wait for changes in its fundamental treaties to make progress in enlargement.

"A Union fit for enlargement can be achieved faster. That means answering practical questions about how a Union of over 30 countries will work in practice," she noted.

Therefore, von der Leyen announced that the Commission would start working on a series of policy reviews ahead of enlargement to see how each area might need to be adapted to accommodate a larger EU.

To support the reform efforts of candidate countries seeking faster integration into the European Union, von der Leyen plans to extend annual reports assessing the rule of law in EU member states to these countries.

According to the President of the European Commission, such reports would enable closer cooperation with member states to identify progress and areas of concern and provide recommendations for the following year.

She also argues that this approach will put candidate countries on an equal footing with EU member states.

Recently, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg advocated for similar engagement with candidate countries. Von der Leyen also mentioned the policy of joint gas purchases, which includes Ukraine, Moldova, and Serbia.

In any case, Ursula von der Leyen is confident in the success of the future EU enlargement, which she even compares to the previous major enlargement 20 years ago.

Ending the War

Even though Ukraine and the war waged against it by Russia were hardly mentioned throughout more than two-thirds of the speech, it was a topic that couldn't be entirely ignored.

"We will be at Ukraine's side every step of the way. For as long as it takes," von der Leyen reiterated a statement that some politicians are already suggesting should be turned into a commitment to achieve Ukraine's victory.

The President of the European Commission spoke extensively about supporting Ukrainian refugees.

In particular, she announced the extension of the temporary protection status for them. Ursula von der Leyen also told the story of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, who was killed by a Russian missile in Kramatorsk in the summer.

On that day, Amelina was with three friends, one of whom was Héctor Abad Faciolince, a fellow writer from Colombia. He was present during von der Leyen's speech in the European Parliament, holding a portrait of the Ukrainian writer.

"Héctor could never imagine becoming the target himself. Afterwards, he said he didn't know why he lived and she died. But now he is telling the world about Victoria. To save her memory and to end this war," von der Leyen said.

"Victoria Amelina believed that it is our collective duty to write a new story for Europe. This is where Europe stands today. At a time and place where history is written. The future of our continent depends on the choices we make today," the President of the European Commission pointed out.

There was no mentioning of frozen Russian assets in von der Leyen's speech.

In June, the European Union concluded that it could not legally confiscate frozen Russian assets in the EU. Instead, the focus has been on seizing the proceeds from the use of these assets.

When it comes to the financial side of supporting Ukraine, the President of the European Commission only mentioned the proposed 50 billion euro assistance package, which is currently being discussed in the European Parliament and the EU Council.

Competing with China

"We have seen the birth of a geopolitical Union – supporting Ukraine, standing up to Russia's aggression, responding to an assertive China and investing in partnerships," von der Leyen stated closer to the beginning of her speech.

The creation of a geopolitical European Commission was indeed an ambitious goal of Ursula von der Leyen when she took over the executive body of the EU in 2019.

However, in this year's SOTEU, the focus shifted more towards China's unfair trade practices.

Von der Leyen announced the initiation of an investigation into the export of Chinese subsidised electric cars to the EU, which immediately received applause from lawmakers.

"Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars. Their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies. This is distorting our market," she said.

Von der Leyen also welcomed the project to build an economic corridor from India to the Middle East and Europe, signed last week.

The project aims to connect India, the Persian Gulf, and Europe through railway and port links, which, according to von der Leyen, will make trade between India and Europe "40% faster." It also includes plans for increasing energy production, clean hydrogen, and data transmission.

The President also mentioned the need for a change in approach to Africa.

"We need to show the same unity of purpose towards Africa as we have shown for Ukraine," von der Leyen said before announcing a new approach to the continent.

She believes that a series of military coups will make the region more unstable for years to come. "Russia is both influencing and benefiting from the chaos. The region has become fertile ground for the rise in terrorism," the President of the European Commission noted.

Therefore, in her view, the EU should focus on cooperation with legitimate governments and regional organisations and develop a mutually beneficial partnership that focuses on common issues for Europe and Africa.

Ecology, Energy, and Artificial Intelligence

After a summer with extreme weather events, the President of the European Commission dedicated a significant portion of her speech to the Green Deal.

"Four years ago, the European Green Deal was our answer to the call of history," von der Leyen said.

According to her, the Green Deal was also developed as an opportunity to secure the future prosperity of the EU and is already delivering short-term results. At the same time, von der Leyen promised continued support for European industry in the implementation of the Green Deal.

Another important point in her address was the mention of economic challenges facing the EU, including labour and skills shortages, inflation, and streamlining business operations for European companies.

Commenting on the challenge of high inflation in the EU, von der Leyen happily noted that energy prices had been reduced.

"We have not forgotten, Putin's deliberate use of gas as a weapon and how it triggered fears of blackout and an energy crisis like in the 70s.

Many thought, we would not have enough energy to get through the winter. But we made it."

A substantial part of SOTEU was also devoted to Europe's leadership in managing the risks of the digital world.

"Disinformation, spread of harmful content, risks to the privacy of our data. All of this led to a lack of trust and a breach of fundamental rights of people," von der Leyen stated, underlining that the Digital Services Act, which came into effect in the EU last year, is a historic achievement for the Union.

The same, in her view, should be done with artificial intelligence.

"We put forward the AI Act – the world's first comprehensive pro-innovation AI law. Our AI Act is already a blueprint for the whole world. We must now focus on adopting the rules as soon as possible and turn to implementation," von der Leyen said.

However, many parts of her speech indicated a desire to continue working further.

"We have delivered over 90% of the Political Guidelines I presented in 2019. Together, we have shown that when Europe is bold, it gets things done. And our work is far from over – so let's stand together. Let's deliver today and prepare for tomorrow," Ursula von der Leyen concluded.

* * * * *

The almost complete absence of mentions of Ukraine in the first part of the speech may have initially disappointed and raised concerns about "Ukraine fatigue" in the EU.

However, this situation can also be viewed from a different perspective – Ukraine in SOTEU is present as an integral part of the irreversible EU enlargement process, not as a source of problems and expenses.

The EU is gradually entering an election mode, and now its priorities are closer to home.

Ivanna Kostina

European Pravda, journalist