Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is facing significant challenges from the two main factions of the European Parliament ahead of her State of the Union speech on Wednesday. These two factions, one center-right and the other center-left, have completely different demands, and if von der Leyen fails to satisfy both, the disagreements could turn into a major rift.
Demands of Different Factions
The center-right faction is calling for increased action on immigration and the continuation of the simplification of European Union laws over the past two years. In contrast, the center-left faction is demanding a halt to what it calls "encroachments on the EU's green policies" and steering the center-right away from passing laws with the votes of the far-right.
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Pressure for a Grand Agreement
In a letter to von der Leyen, Iratxe García Pérez, President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, has asked her to provide a clear political commitment regarding not rolling back on the European Green Deal. She also emphasized that the issue of immigration must be included in the discussions, as it is "a significant issue for the people."
Meanwhile, the EPP (European People's Party) faction believes that the packages proposed for simplifying EU laws are not sufficient. Thomas Tobé, Vice President of the EPP from Sweden, stated, "We need to further reduce regulations to remain competitive."
Additionally, tough negotiations are ongoing over the election of the President of Parliament in January, with the EPP faction calling for the continuation of Roberta Metsola's presidency and the S&D faction demanding their turn to nominate for this position. Pressure for a larger agreement between these two factions, including agreements on banning internal combustion engines and EU budget-related issues, is also increasing.
However, if von der Leyen can establish a proper balance, tensions may harm the discussions, as was the case last year following her speech, which saw a sharp attack from Weber on García Pérez and the S&D group.
Weber has accused the S&D group of undermining the center's unity with repeated criticisms of EPP's right-wing policies. García Pérez has also strongly reacted to these criticisms, accusing Weber and the European People's Party of non-cooperation.
