More than six months after the outbreak of war at the gates of Europe, the speech of the President of the Commission was expected. Arriving by bicycle in yellow and blue alongside Ukrainian First Lady Ursula von der Leyen, she immediately showed her unwavering support for Kaif against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Ursula von der Leyen edited »
“I found President Ursula von der Leyen very liberated, and I found her very physically present with Olena Zelenska who had been there since the day before in Strasbourg, with whom she had obviously spent a lot of time. I found him very aware, responsible for this mission of Europe in support of Ukraine” , says French Fabien Keeler of the New Europe group, an ally of the Commission. This warlord’s prestige was seduced beyond the political allies of Ursula von der Leyen. European support for the Ukrainian people is very important. And this is one of the basic dimensions of his speech,” Marisa Matias admits, having elected a Portuguese from the left group, but is clearly in opposition.
But if the European chief executive is to some extent convinced of her support for how, on energy issues, on democratic issues, a short sentence raises many questions. Ursula von der Leyen called for a “new economic management”, calling for “the rediscovery of the spirit of Maastricht”.
“We have already realized that this rule does not work”
A treaty whose thirtieth anniversary will be celebrated soon, which aims to harmonize the national budget policies of member states, in order to avoid the emergence of large budget deficits. By setting a goal of keeping the deficit below 3% of GDP and public debt at a level less than or equal to 60% of GDP, the treaty focused criticism from those who saw this above all as a limit on public spending. Budget locks that jumped with the pandemic, deployment of support mechanisms for the economy, and employees as in France.
Turning back would be a huge mistake for Marisa Matias, who doesn’t get angry. This means revising the Stability and Growth Pact. This is not the right time. We’ve already realized that this rule doesn’t work – and to me it’s really surprising to use this as a point, in this kind of rhetoric, at a time when the president herself is saying there is still a risk of a recession. »
Maastricht was 30 years ago! »
Even among his allies, this signal does not pass either. “You need a sound budget management philosophy, but it cannot be based on outdated standards. 30 years! It was Maastricht 30 years ago! The balance that will come to the European Commission President. The latter wants member states to have “more accountability” for their public debt , with “greater flexibility in the debt-reduction path” and “greater investment flexibility.” The Ursula von der Leyen Commission will present its first proposals in this area in October.
Find the entire show in the replay
