Expanding Horizons

According to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union needs to start preparing for the dramatic adjustments needed for Ukraine and other nations to join the EU.

The president of the European Commission urged member states to "match the determination" of Ukraine and others in preparing for an expanded EU in her annual "state of the union" speech.

Before the EU election cycle begins next year, Von der Leyen remarked in her final state of the union address, "We cannot afford to leave our fellow Europeans behind."

She added that MEPs needed to start addressing the "practical questions about how a Union of over 30 countries will work in practise," saying "We cannot and we should not wait for treaty change to move forward with enlargement."

With nine nations waiting in file and one country, Georgia, already on the path to joining, the 27-member bloc might grow to 36 or 37. Von der Leyen stated, "I think Team Europe works at 30-plus."

She rebuffed proposals by Charles Michel, president of the European Council, to establish a timeline for membership in the EU for 2030, stating that membership in the EU must be based on merit and would require closer political ties with nations in eastern Europe and the western Balkans.

The EU can find itself in a humiliating situation where Ukraine finished its reforms to join but the bloc was not prepared to admit the nation unless the discussion about important adjustments gets going in the EU capitals.

Von der Leyen reaffirmed that the EU stood with Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and vowed to continue to do so "for as long as it takes."

Her speech served as both a recap of her first term as president of the European Commission and an opportunity to outline future objectives in view of the upcoming European parliamentary elections in June.

The 20-page address was woven together by China's hegemonic position in numerous industries, including those for crucial raw materials required for electric automobiles, semi-conductors, and solar panels.

Von der Leyen warned that the EU will not put up with China dumping low-cost electric cars on the European market in her harshest and most precise comments yet on the electric car industry.

China poses a serious danger to European automakers like BMW, Volkswagen, Fiat, and Peugeot because it has control over the supply of lithium hydroxide, a crucial component in electric vehicle batteries.

The Chinese firm BYD introduced two electric vehicles in June, and according to market predictions, 800,000 Chinese vehicles might be marketed in the EU by 2025.

In her address, Von der Leyen claimed that Chinese electric automobiles were "flooded" onto international markets at lower prices that were "artificially kept low by huge state subsidies." She continued by saying that this was distorting "our market" and that the EU would "not accept" it.

In announcing an inquiry into Chinese electric vehicle subsidies, Von der Leyen stated: "Europe is open for competition, not for a race to the bottom."

She did, however, reaffirm business concerns about political precariousness. Von der Leyen referred to the formal EU policy of "de-risking" and not "decoupling" from Beijing and stated, "Equally it is crucial to maintain open lines of communication and dialogue with Beijing."

Her stern warnings to China are the clearest indication yet that the European Commission will accede to UK and EU automakers' demands that a 10% tariff on exports of electric vehicles within the Union be suspended in order to give German, French, Italian, British, and central European factories time to catch up with Chinese expertise.

Von der Leyen, also discussed the dangers and potential provided by artificial intelligence, noting that EU leaders had a "narrowing window of opportunity" to responsibly steer the technology.