The MEP believes that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s line will change after the summer European elections. “Same name, different person.”
MEP of the coalition Petri Sarvamaa is of the opinion that the European Union has wasted five years under the leadership of the current Commission. It has not strengthened the internal market or its competitiveness.
The commission is headed by a German Ursula von der Leyen, which belongs to the same center-right EPP party as Sarvamaa itself. Von der Leyen is also the EPP’s candidate for the leadership of the next Commission after the summer European elections.
The terms of office of the European Parliament and the Commission last five years at a time.
Sarvamaa is of the opinion that von der Leyen was so inexperienced when he became president of the Commission that the Commission’s directorates-general for climate and environment and the vice-president Frans Timmermans (S&D) managed to seize power for themselves.
Von der Leyen was not able to direct and lead the European green transition program Green Deal, but Timmermans of the Democrats took it over for the first couple of years, until the start of the war in Ukraine.
“This Green Deal is a disaster. Europe wasted five years here. The balance was lost. One political area dominates 90 percent of everything the EU does”, Sarvamaa stated on Tuesday at the press coffees of the coalition members in Strasbourg.
In his opinion, it is an “unforgivable sin”.
However, Sarvamaa believes that the balance between different policy sectors is returning. The EU has commissioned an internal market report from the former Italian prime minister Enrico Lettaltaa competitiveness report from the former prime minister of Italy Mario Draghilta and a preparedness report from the former president of Finland From Sauli Niinistö.
In Sarvamaa’s opinion, a more balanced approach can also be seen in von der Leyen’s recent comments.
“The next five years will be very different from the past five years. I have an idea that the same name is chosen, but a different person. It will be a completely different command by the same person. The frost drives the pig home.”
Thanks from Virkkus to von der Leyen
MEP of the coalition Henna Virkkunen disagrees with Sarvamaa. In his opinion, Ursula von der Leyen has succeeded in her task at the head of the Commission. He hasn’t wasted five years either.
Virkkunen points out that the past five-year period has been full of crises. It has been colored by the corona pandemic and the war of aggression started by Russia in Ukraine.
“After the start of the war of aggression, he was the person who assembled this common front very strongly. At the moment, the EU heads of state do not have one Angela Merkel a taxing leader who could be a unifying force in the council.”