Strong and rapid action to cushion the cost of the energy crisis for European consumers, including the most vulnerable, continued support for the Ukrainians in their war against Moscow and enhanced efforts to address the climate emergency. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be expected to address all of these points on Wednesday 14 September during her third State of the Union speech. A speech that the European Parliament’s political groups hope will live up to the current challenges.
This plenary and the State of the Union debate are “the most important moment of the year”, commented the President of the S&D group in the European Parliament, Iratxe García Pérez (Spanish), on 13 September.
“We have had a difficult summer, we have to react”, from the wave of fires “as a consequence of climate change”, to the “rise in energy prices and inflation”, commented the Spaniard, who regretted that the measures considered by the Commission “are coming a little late”.
On Wednesday, the group will defend a cap on Russian gas prices and strong action against the “incredible” profits of energy producers. “Everyone has to act, not just families”, continued the Spaniard, who also supports the principle of reducing energy consumption.
The EPP group in the European Parliament is also pushing for a cap on Russian oil and gas prices, it said on 13 September, although the issue is not yet expected to be proposed by the Commission on 14 September.
“We are in favour of market-based solutions, but at the moment, with exceptionally high gas prices, such an intervention may be a way out of this crisis”, the group said.
“The EU must take the lead and provide the answers to energy issues and, more broadly, to issues of sovereignty and solidarity. In the last crises (health, the war in Ukraine), European responses were able to protect Europeans”, commented Stéphane Séjourné, the French President of the Renew Europe group.
On energy, the group will advocate shared instruments for energy sobriety and will also pay close attention to proposals on the contribution of energy companies.
“We have to make sure that our governments are resilient, but not all of them have done the right thing, so we are in a situation where prices are very difficult to manage”, commented Greens/EFA co-President Ska Keller (German).
“Ursula von der Leyen is expected to say that the EU is doing everything it can to mitigate the impact of the crisis on citizens and SMEs. We are already seeing very high levels of poverty, a lot of support will be needed”, she added.
“The crisis has also highlighted the need to invest in renewable energy” and to stop being dependent on “Russia and other powers”. “The solutions to the energy crisis and the climate crisis are linked”, added the German, who is hoping that the Commission will strengthen the ‘European Green Deal’.
The Left, for its part, is hoping for a real reform of the electricity market, commented the group’s co-President, Manon Aubry (French).
Amused by the Commission’s “lexical inventiveness”, which does not speak of a tax on energy companies but of a ‘solidarity contribution’, the MEP will call for a very broad tax, which could collect at least €50 billion over a year. The group also hopes there will be ambition in terms of capping the revenues of other electricity producers.
For some MEPs, it will also be very important on Wednesday to get across the message that supporting Ukraine against Russia does not conflict with measures to protect Europeans. For Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, French), support for sanctions against Russia is “eroding” because “there are not enough explanations” from governments.
But “we must not give up on the sanctions”, said Sylvie Guillaume, and play into the hands of Russia’s allies within the European Parliament, who use doubts about the effectiveness of the sanctions to promote Vladimir Putin’s interests.
Ursula von der Leyen will also be expected to speak on Wednesday about the rule of law and the defence of fundamental rights, at a time when Hungary is negotiating money from the EU’s recovery plan and when scandals involving the tapping of journalists and political opponents are multiplying. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with editorial staff)