The president of the European Commission wanted to reassure the citizens of the twenty-seven by proposing several measures aimed at containing the prices of energy, in her speech of the State of the Union on Wednesday in Strasbourg.
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Dressed in a yellow jacket and a blue blouse, Ursula von der Leyen had, for the occasion, adopted the colors of Ukraine, matching those of the European flag. The proof by the image that the war waged by Russia was at the heart of the discourse on the state of the Union that the president of the European Commission, delivered, Wednesday, September 14, before the Strasbourg Parliament.
A few hours before going, for the third time, to kyiv, the former Minister of Angela Merkel wanted to show a Europe ready to welcome Ukraine, who obtained the status of candidate for membership in membership in June. The exchanges within the hemicycle were also exceptionally translated into the language of Volodymyr Zelensky, and the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, attended.
Beyond the symbols, the announcements of Ursula von der Leyen were probably not up to the hopes of kyiv. At no time did she embark on new sanctions against Moscow, nor on the release of new military aid. Ukraine is “part of our family,” she launched, without being more concrete on the path that awaits kyiv before being able to join the European Union (EU). We must put an end to “Sunday speeches”, judged Manfred Weber, the president of the European People’s Party group in the Parliament, “we need a winter of solidarity. Solidarity above all with Ukraine. More weapons, More money, more solidarity “.
reassure Europeans
In reality, Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen was first aimed at Europeans, while war threatens the growth found after the Pandemic of COVID-19 and makes prices flambé. In this context, she knows that she must first reassure her fellow citizens as much as some populist parties make European action carry the responsibility of the energy crisis and the recession that is coming.
“It is a war that focuses on our values and our future,” launched the president of the commission, before defending the balance sheet of sanctions, which put “the Russian industry”. “The Russian army recovers chips from dishwashers and refrigerators to repair its military equipment, because it is short of semiconductors,” she notably illustrated.
It is Vladimir Putin who “manipulates” the energy market and makes prices artificially inflate, she continued. However, Europeans cannot stop in this observation if they want to win the War of Opinion and, above all, avoid a social sling doubled by a heavy recession. Ursula von der Leyen therefore returned, Wednesday, on the way in which the Commission intended to fight against the increase in gas and electricity bills.
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