Von der Leyen said at the end of the legislative session that the EU is stronger than in 2019

On Tuesday, at the last plenary session of the European Parliament’s legislature in Strasbourg, France, the President of the European Commission said the European Union (EU) is stronger than it was five years ago, despite “crises of historic proportions.” collided.

During the Strasbourg Hemicycle debate following the extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels last week on competitiveness, Ursula von der Leyen noted that since the last European elections in 2019, the EU has been faced with the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine “on energy “a crisis made in Russia” that “could develop into a dramatic economic and social crisis”, with many predicting “mass unemployment in Europe and a prolonged recession” in 2020.

“But that didn’t happen, and that was thanks to Europe’s enormous resilience and the fact that we had the right policies. [programa] SURE, which saved 40 million jobs in Europe, or NextGenerationEU and REPowerEU, which accelerated the recovery and deployment of renewable energy sources of national origin,” he said, listing some of the main initiatives taken during the crisis.

Noting that, contrary to the expectations of many, even “more people are working today than at any time in European history,” the Community Executive President noted that “unemployment has reached its lowest level in history, at less than 6%.” Employment is at its highest ever level, at over 75%, and inflation is now close to the 2% target.”

“We have gone through an extremely difficult situation, but in many respects we have emerged stronger than we were five years ago,” says Ursula von der Leyen, who is running again for the position as the main candidate (“spitzenkadidat”). ) the largest European political family – the European People’s Party (EPP).

However, von der Leyen stressed that “the shock waves of these crises have affected Europe’s competitiveness”, especially because “the business model of many European industries was based on supposedly cheap energy from Russia and trade with a rising China”, and Europe currently has dealing with “dishonest Russia and China, which is experiencing difficulties with domestic demand.”

For this reason, he continued, “restoring the EU’s competitive advantage” “must be at the center of Europe’s economic agenda in 2024 and beyond,” which is why last week’s European Council meeting was important, during which 27 countries discussed a single European market. .

“I am absolutely convinced that, given the necessary momentum, we can usher in a new wave of European competitiveness. […] The last five years have taught us something: we have repeatedly surprised the skeptics and challenged the pessimists. Because for a strong Europe, if there is a will, there is a way. And our continent will continue to be the beating heart of industry and innovation around the world,” he concluded.

The European Parliament is holding its final plenary session of the current legislature in the French city of Strasbourg and will not meet again until July, after European elections in June that will determine the next institutional cycle.

In this final session of the 2019-2024 legislature, which runs until Thursday, MEPs have an extremely busy agenda: trying to close as many files as possible, they have to vote on 89 legislative texts – a record for a single session. according to the assembly, up from 76 in the previous final session (2019) – and seven resolutions, in addition to several debates in the hemicycle.

The next session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg will take place in about three months, from 16 to 19 July, and will be the constituent session of the 2024-2029 legislature, depending on the results of the European elections scheduled for 6 to 19 July. and 9 June in 27 member states.