State of the Union, Newsletter

Key diary dates

• Tuesday 9 September: European Parliament's plenary session to debate security guarantees for Ukraine with Kaja Kallas.

• Wednesday 10 September: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to deliver State of the Union address at European Parliament in Strasbourg.

• Friday 12 September: Von der Leyen to participate in Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry.

In spotlight

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces a uphill battle when she attempts to seize the narrative in her State of the Union address in Strasbourg.

She will make security and competition the buzzwords, but MEPs in the chamber are likely to make for a tough audience, both in the immediate moment of delivery, and more importantly as von der Leyen seeks to turn her rhetoric into reality.

Last year’s European elections left von der Leyen’s European People’s Party’s position of dominance in the parliament chamber intact, but a swing to the right is still making itself felt.

Despite von der Leyen’s insistence that the traditional ‘pro-EU’ coalition held, voting patterns since have seen the dominant EPP feel out to the groups further to the right for support, and there is distrust for the centrist position on both sides.

Having survived a no-confidence vote in the Parliament before the summer break, von der Leyen now faces two more from the radical left and right, which are working separately on fresh motions of censure to topple the European Commission, to be tabled in the coming weeks.

The two flanks of the parliament are effectively competing to be the first to submit motions, and a first vote could come in October.

Tabling a motion of censure is much easier than actually toppling the European Commission, and as reported, the far-right and leftist parties would need to join forces to remove von der Leyen from power.

Nevertheless these motions will jam up the Parliamentary agenda – and dominate backroom politicking – just as von der Leyen urgently seeks to stamp authority over the agenda this autumn with revisions to the Green deal and preliminary debates on the EU long term budget.

Meanwhile the French government is sinking once again into limbo - reinforcing the impression of a Union which is fraying both in its institutions and among its constituent members.

Policy newsmakers

Brussels defiant against persistent criticism of EU-US trade deal

Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and DG Trade Director General Sabine Weyand defended the EU-US trade deal in the face of mounting criticism last week. At a hearing of the Parliament's trade committee on Wednesday, MEPs vented their frustration over the agreement's lopsided nature. Cornered by lawmakers, Sabine Weyand, contended that America's commercial policy was beyond European control and that her team had been left with little room for manoeuvre. Meanwhile, in a separate press conference, Commissioner Šefčovič, who personally led the negotiations, insisted the deal was "the only responsible way forward".

Policy Poll

Data brief