Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will emphasize the independence of this continent in facing a dangerous world in her sixth State of the European Union speech. This speech comes amid challenges such as wars, wildfires, and political tensions with the United States and China. In this speech, she will review the progress and future steps towards this goal.
Key Plans of Ursula von der Leyen
Von der Leyen intends to address several key plans in this speech. These plans include increasing Europe's resilience to climate change, strengthening Europe's defense industry, and reforming immigration laws. Additionally, she will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market and provide new statistics in this area.
Reports indicate that von der Leyen's team has previously held discussions with various officials regarding the priorities of this speech. The topic of artificial intelligence was discussed in a separate seminar held in early September in Terhuren, near Brussels. In this seminar, Jim Hageman Snabe, Chairman of Siemens, participated as a special advisor to the European Commission on industrial applications of artificial intelligence.
Addressing Climate Challenges
Von der Leyen will also address the climate challenges that Europe has faced this summer. This summer has been marked by droughts and widespread wildfires in Europe, and she is looking to provide solutions to increase the continent's resilience to these changes. A proposed package to enhance this resilience is being prepared and is expected to be published by the end of October.
This program will include climate scenarios and regular risk assessments. She will also emphasize the necessity of integrating climate resilience into all stages of economic and political decision-making. This is particularly important in the areas of infrastructure investment and legislation.
Moreover, issues related to agriculture and water resource management will also be addressed in this speech. Christoph Hansen, the Commissioner for Agriculture, has expressed hope that the topic of adaptation to climate change will be seriously discussed.
Relations with China and Its Impacts
One important question regarding von der Leyen's speech is whether she will mention China. In last year's speech, she announced the initiation of an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles, which drew reactions from Beijing. However, it seems that in this speech, she will not refer to this investigation and will focus more on Europe's need for diversity in economic relations.
Ultimately, von der Leyen's speech comes at a time when Europe is facing new political challenges following the migration crises of the summer. She is expected to address migration-related topics in this speech and provide solutions for managing these challenges.
