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Debata o przemówieniu Ursuli von der Leyen w programie „The Ring”

Po wystąpieniu Ursuli von der Leyen – debata: europosłowie Li Andersson i Lukas Mandl analizują przemówienie szefowej KE w specjalnym wydaniu „The Ring”.

CZYTAJ WIĘCEJ : http://pl.euronews.com/2026/09/22/debata-o-przemowieniu-ursuli-von-der-leyen-w-programie-the-ring

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00:08Wielkie prawa!
00:09Witam na RING, Euronews' weekly debatet show,
00:12broadcasting live from the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
00:16I'm Stefan Grobe.
00:17On RING debaters go face-to-face
00:19on some of the biggest political issues facing the EU.
00:23And tonight we want to deconstruct Ursula von der Leyen's
00:27State of the European Union address,
00:29one of the biggest events on the EU's annual political calendar.
00:33Let's take a look at Europe's challenges
00:36and the EU Commission President's answers.
00:41Europe is facing a world of war,
00:43geopolitical rivalry and economic pressure.
00:46And the European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen
00:49has set out her answer.
00:51A stronger, more independent Europe
00:53that can stand on its own feet.
00:55From Ukraine and European defence to migration,
00:59China, AI and the future of Europe's economy,
01:02her State of the Union address has laid out an ambitious agenda
01:05that also includes making Canada an associate EU member.
01:09But how much of this can actually be delivered?
01:12And what will it be for Europe's citizens?
01:15What is von der Leyen's vision for the continent?
01:17Her biggest promises and the political battles that lie ahead.
01:23A lot to unpack here for our contenders.
01:27And here they are.
01:29Lee Andersen, a Finnish MEP from the Left Group.
01:32The former Finnish Minister of Education,
01:34she is a member of the Delegation for Relations with the United States
01:38and chairs the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
01:41in the European Parliament.
01:42She says,
01:44While von der Leyen is worried over climate heating,
01:46the Commission is deliberately slowing the pace in cutting emissions.
01:50The EU is moving in the wrong direction regarding its climate policies
01:54and we cannot only focus on adaptation.
01:56The number one concern of Europeans at the moment is the cost of living crisis.
02:01We need more ambition to tackle higher rents, energy costs and strengthen working conditions.
02:07Lukas Mandel, an Austrian MEP from the European People's Party.
02:11In the European Parliament, he sits in the Committees on Development,
02:15Legal Affairs and Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
02:20Regarding the political direction of Ursula von der Leyen's Commission, he says,
02:24Leadership means doing the right things.
02:27Management means doing things right.
02:29The President is slowly closing the gap towards leadership.
02:35So, let me welcome to the Ring Lee Andersson and Lukas Mandel.
02:39Great to have you here.
02:41Thanks for coming.
02:42Now, the aim of the Ring is to offer our viewers a glimpse at European Parliament debates.
02:47So, you should feel right at home.
02:50Are you ready?
02:51Yes.
02:52Ready when you are.
02:53All right.
02:54Now, I like this.
02:55Was this the speech by Ursula von der Leyen?
02:58A vision for Europe or a shopping list of promises?
03:03Lee, I want to start with you.
03:05I think this was more of a shopping list, actually.
03:07I don't agree with Ursula von der Leyen on all her policies,
03:10but I think she has had stronger speeches than this one.
03:13So, I did not really see or hear the big vision for Europe.
03:17I think she went through a lot of initiatives.
03:19Many of them were actually not new.
03:21I would say that the biggest surprises was in the area of defense cooperation, the article
03:264 for the European Union and, of course, also this new initiative for Canada.
03:30But otherwise, I also missed more on the climate ambition and the cost of living crisis.
03:35Okay.
03:35Lucas, was this a great speech or did she play it safe?
03:38Your question was whether it was visionary.
03:40I think I always advocated for more vision, more leadership.
03:44There is still room for improvement, but different to Lee Andersson.
03:49I think there were weaker speeches in the past than this one.
03:51So, this speech was an improvement, as I said, from management, which was always good with Ursula von der Leyen,
03:56a good manager towards leadership, which is actually expected from a commission's president.
04:01What, above all, should Europeans remember of this speech in the future?
04:07I think this speech will be remembered by the fact that we had the Prime Minister of Canada in the
04:13room listening
04:14and she did not once mention the US during the entire speech.
04:18So, I think, in a way, it was a signal of how Europe is trying to position itself in this
04:23new geopolitical situation.
04:25And I do also hope that Ursula will take some inspiration from the Prime Minister of Canada
04:30because I think Canada, in a way, has been stronger and more clear in where they stand
04:34and also standing against certain policies and attempts to push down from Donald Trump.
04:41So, Mark Carney was in the room. Donald Trump was not.
04:45He was not invited. He might have been the elephant in the room.
04:49She didn't mention him. Was this because she didn't want to get into this?
04:54She didn't want to provoke him?
04:55Well, I agree with Leanderson that these are two points that will be remembered.
05:00Mark Carney in the room and actually also the matter of fact that the US is our strongest ally on
05:06the planet still,
05:07even under this US administration, which causes a lot of struggle, was not mentioned.
05:11But, positively speaking, I mean, despite these factors that are due to the trouble the world is in,
05:17the security dimension, the economic dimension will absolutely remain remembered, I would say.
05:25The Security Council for Europe is an excellent idea.
05:28When it comes to the economy, the investment union, which is extremely urgently needed.
05:34We have seven times smaller growth than the US.
05:38We have 12 times smaller growth than China.
05:40And we have had that for every year annually since the pandemic.
05:44You mentioned the economic security.
05:46The economic problems.
05:47One big thing is, and I go back to Trump, is, of course, the tariff situation.
05:52No word on this.
05:54Why?
05:56Well, as I said, I think it's also her way of making a very clear standpoint.
06:01The fact that she did not mention the US, not the tariffs, not anything else.
06:05Talked about her own priorities.
06:06But since Mark Carney was in the room, we know that Canada has had a much,
06:11I would say, like stronger policy against the US administration when it comes to defending their own interests
06:16against Trump's tariff threats.
06:19So maybe that was not an issue she wanted to touch upon for this reason.
06:22She knows that the agreement between the EU and the Trump administration got a lot of criticism,
06:27also within the European Parliament, for not being favorable enough for Europe.
06:32So on the defense and security part, yes, there were initiatives.
06:35On technology, there was not.
06:37There was not anything in this speech that would mean like increasing our digital sovereignty
06:42or how she's going to take that project further.
06:45And my biggest criticism is, even though Ursula rightly mentioned that we paid 90 billion euros more
06:53for importing the same amount of fossil energy after the Strait of Hormuz closed,
06:58what her commission is doing at the moment is actually weakening the European climate policies,
07:05the emissions trading system, which are built to ensure that we get rid of this fossil energy dependency,
07:12which is extremely expensive for our economies, for businesses and for customers.
07:17This global political powerhouse, does Europe have the political will for this and the money?
07:25Absolutely. I mean, this is the strength of Europe.
07:27We have the political will more than any other part of the world when it comes to the environment,
07:31which we very much care for.
07:32No other part of the world would be so committed to tackling the crisis of climate change.
07:38No other part of the world had to be so committed to get rid of Russian gas, for example,
07:44after the attack of Putin Russia against Ukraine and with hybrid means and measures against all of us.
07:49I highly appreciate that Lee Anderson, my colleague in the left group, is standing with Ukraine,
07:54not with Russia like others do with the left group of the European Parliament.
07:57This is absolutely appreciable. So and Europe is still economically strong.
08:02We were in decline. We have slower economy and smaller growth rates since the pandemic annually,
08:08as I have mentioned before. But we still have the chance we can take.
08:12But we only take the chance if we make investments possible and then everything is possible,
08:16including overcoming the energy prices peak, which is absolutely a problem for the economy too,
08:22and including tackling the environmental problem.
08:25But the problem is if you look at the climate policies, for example,
08:29even though the EU has been a global leader when it comes to setting ambitious climate targets,
08:35when we look at our energy system, we actually see that of advanced economies,
08:40Europe is one that imports actually the most of its energy.
08:43So we have a high energy dependency rate, especially if you compare it to China or the US, for example.
08:50And during the last years, even after we have cut the dependency on Russian fossil fuels,
08:55which is the right thing to do, we are using more money to import fossil energy
09:00than what we are using for clean energy in the European Union.
09:03And this makes no sense, as was already said, no sense from the point of view of our economies
09:09or from protecting people against the price shocks, which we, of course, also should be one of our core priorities
09:16in a situation where a lot of Europeans are struggling with the cost of living crisis.
09:21Lucas, your comment.
09:22Europeans are struggling with the cost of living crisis and European businesses are struggling with the energy prices.
09:27This is why it's not the wrong thing to do, it's the right thing to do, of course, to do
09:32what's necessary,
09:33to have the energy we need today for today, the energy for tomorrow we will need tomorrow.
09:38At the same time, we have to develop sustainable energy sources and decrease our dependencies,
09:44which is absolutely right, but the one thing goes together with the other.
09:47So we can stop the economy for a year or two or even longer and then restart because then Europe
09:52will be destroyed.
09:53So we have to do both at the same time.
09:54All right. Let me stop you right here. We can go on.
09:59We're just getting warmed up, as you've seen. Now it's time for gloves off.
10:08Now, we want viewers to get a real flavor of the European Parliament chamber where members ask each other questions.
10:14So let's get started. And Lucas, you begin.
10:18Lee Andersson, I already said I highly appreciate your stance when it comes to defending ourselves against the Putin-Russian
10:26threat.
10:27I have also mentioned the economy. So my question is, do you support a stronger capital market union,
10:33a savings and investments union, as the president has outlined, or do you have any other strategy to overcome the
10:38economic crisis?
10:39So it depends on what we will do and what she will propose, because I, for example, do not support
10:46proposals that would mean deregulation,
10:50for example, of the banking sector or of the financial sector, because even though 2008 may seem like a long
10:57time ago,
10:57I think we should have learned some important lesson from that financial crisis also when it comes to regulating the
11:03financial markets and the banks.
11:05So whatever is done, I think it should not be done in a way where we kind of forget the
11:11important lessons we should have learned then,
11:13because at some point we will have a new bubble in the financial markets and we will be faced with
11:18the same kind of problems unless we make sure that we have sufficient rules in place.
11:24When it comes to the economy at large, one reason that I am focusing a lot of energy is that
11:30the fact that Europe is so fossil fuel dependent
11:33and imports a lot of energy, it really is a problem for our competitiveness.
11:37So we've seen countries that have managed to invest a lot in renewables such as my own country, Finland.
11:42It has also kept electricity prices down for companies and for customers.
11:48So there's so much to win by doing more in reducing the fossil fuel dependency.
11:55It's a win for the environment, of course.
11:57It's a win for the economy, but it's also a win from the social point of view,
12:01because energy prices and gas, specifically natural gas, was one of the main reasons for the inflation after the 2022
12:11energy crisis, for example.
12:12And I'm afraid we're going to see a similar situation this winter.
12:16OK, clear answer. And now your question to your opponent.
12:19So I feel like I talk a lot about energy, as you heard.
12:25I think one of our main priorities should be to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
12:30This summer, the commission proposed to weaken the emission trading system of the European Union,
12:37meaning that we would slower down the pace of cutting emissions and also hand out free fossil fuel allowances,
12:44meaning financial support to businesses that use fossil energy longer.
12:49Many businesses in Finland are super critical of this.
12:53And they have invested in decarbonization.
12:56They don't want this to change.
12:58Your group EPP has demanded to weaken the ETS system.
13:03How is that compatible with making good decisions for companies and economies?
13:09That's connected even because the best decisions for economies is allowing economies and businesses to do their business.
13:18And we have the situation, as I have mentioned before, that Europe is not an island.
13:22Europe is dependent on other parts of the world.
13:24We reduce dependencies of various kinds, especially the critical ones.
13:27But if others have much lower energy prices, we cannot allow for our businesses to have extra costs only created
13:34politically.
13:35And this is why we have to reduce fossil fuels.
13:38I totally agree with that.
13:39But at the same time, from day to day, we need our businesses to win.
13:44Also, you care for the social welfare system.
13:46I care for the social welfare system.
13:48Ronald Reagan has once stated he was president of the United States, a good one, by the way.
13:52And he said the best social program is a job.
13:55And who creates jobs?
13:56It's businesses.
13:57It's the economy.
13:58So if you want to keep up a proper social security system, if you want to keep up also the
14:03state security systems for people who need it, we have to keep up strong businesses.
14:07And this is why we cannot isolate Europe.
14:09We have to rather convince other parts of the world to also tackle climate change.
14:13We have to convince other parts of the world to join our pathway towards a climate change-aware humanity.
14:21And we are far away from that.
14:23We need global geopolitical gravity.
14:26We need the global outreach.
14:28And we will only have it with two factors.
14:30If we are economically strong and if we are militarily strong, meaning capable to defend ourselves, then we will be
14:36listened to.
14:37And then we can, let's say, positively share our view on climate change with other parts of the world.
14:42Quick reaction?
14:43Yes.
14:44So I still think that the problem is now we are making decisions that favor one group of companies at
14:51the expense of others.
14:52So it's not about, like, making things better for companies or not.
14:55But the weakening the price signals in the ETS system actually benefits the companies who have not invested in decarbonization
15:03at the benefits of those who have not, who have.
15:06And I don't think, I mean, if you want to do business-friendly policies that at the same time aim
15:14at reducing these critical dependencies, then you should not support weakening the emissions trading system, which is a market-based
15:21mechanism designed to make sure that the price signal will steer private actors to invest in decarbonization.
15:29Also from the point of view of convincing other parts of the world about the reason why we need to
15:36have ambitious climate policies, how does it look when Europe is actually changing direction on the climate policies?
15:44When we are signaling that we are slowing down the pace, we are backing down when it comes to the
15:50green transition, we're changing a lot of the legislation from last mandate.
15:54The signal this sends to the world is that Europe does not believe in this project.
15:57Rightly so.
15:58We were in the wrong pathway in the last mandate.
16:00We took a lot of wrong decisions.
16:02We made Europe isolated from other parts of the world with the supply chain doors, for example.
16:06We actually politically had wrong majorities also in this very parliament, different to this mandate when it comes to the
16:13economy, when it comes to the opportunities for Europeans.
16:16And what's important to understand is it's not only the household like your household, my household, where we see increasing
16:24energy prices.
16:24It's a dependency of major parts of our economy of energy prices.
16:29And here we might have a different view on things.
16:31Lower energy prices or let's say moderate energy prices, which are still higher than in the U.S. or in
16:36China, are something the whole economy benefits from and each business benefits from.
16:42And this is not a choice.
16:44This is not to be discussed.
16:46Plus, this is something absolutely necessary to existentially keep up European economy when it comes to AI and data centers,
16:52not even to mention what energy they need.
16:54For this lively round, we have heard the views from our guests.
16:58Now it's time to hear from another voice.
17:06And that voice is, of course, Ursula von der Leyen herself.
17:10Take a listen.
17:11The Commission is proposing the Kids Act.
17:15In sum, no social media under the age of 13.
17:21No personal account under the age of 15.
17:26I am aware that many perceive the power of big tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back.
17:32I disagree.
17:33We do not have to accept addictive features.
17:36We do not have to accept children being drawn into ever more extreme content.
17:42We do not have to accept that girls have their photos used for AI-generated sexualized images.
17:50So, is it time for Brussels to tell parents, rather than parents deciding themselves, what age children should be allowed
17:59online?
18:01Lukas, I'm going to start with you.
18:02Well, parents always have the first say, and this should be addressed.
18:05Parents have, at the same time, the freedom and the responsibility in the education of children.
18:10Secondly, it's not new that politics is creating means and measures in order to save children from harmful content.
18:17Imagine, maybe it sounds ironic today, that in cinemas, in each country, I'm sure in Finland too, in Austria as
18:23well, we have commissions for cinemas which judge what age would be the right age to begin from for this
18:31or that movie broadcasted in the cinemas.
18:34And if we imagine what children today see on TikTok, Instagram, and in other channels, then we have a huge
18:41problem, not only for society also, not only for politics when it comes to extremism, also that, also for mental
18:47health of these very children.
18:49So, we have a responsibility.
18:51We also save children from alcohol, from nicotine.
18:54I'm a little confused.
18:54Are you supporting her initiative?
18:56Absolutely.
18:57Okay.
18:57My home country was even earlier, but I'm happy to have a European approach because Europe is one.
19:03Julie, on this.
19:04Yeah.
19:04So, I need to know more about what she will propose.
19:08I've been quite critical of this idea of having an age limit because I think the problem is that it
19:12kind of takes focus away from the responsibility of the tech giants.
19:16I mean, they are the ones that need to change how their platforms work.
19:21But as far as I understand, they are trying actually to find a balance here by allowing also then younger
19:27kids to use social media through their guardian accounts.
19:32And I think the most actually important thing that she said was that she is willing to put forward legislation
19:38aimed at forcing these tech giants changing the way that the algorithms work on the social media platforms for kids.
19:48That is important because that is something that no single parent can do.
19:52I'm going to throw something out there and please come up with short answers.
19:56I'm interested in your thinking here.
19:58We know that kids spend more and more time in front of screens.
20:02Two and a half hours per day on average.
20:05Yet, the time they spent reading a book goes down and down and down and down.
20:11What is wrong?
20:12What have we missed?
20:13And how can we reverse that trend?
20:15Lukas?
20:16I think it's not about reversal.
20:17It's about the proper future development.
20:19We have seen what it causes.
20:21It's highly addictive.
20:22We have not yet added that before.
20:24Of course, the platforms also have a big responsibility.
20:26I agree with my colleague here.
20:27And it's actually the example.
20:30It's not only kids who are spending so much time on the smartphones and not only there but in the
20:35social media apps.
20:36And even worse sometimes in messenger services providing a lot of conspiracy theories and harmful content.
20:41It's about mental health.
20:43It's about a good example we have to provide.
20:44But it's also, of course, about means and measures to protect children like we do with ARCO, nicotine and other
20:49substances.
20:50We need to move on.
20:51Lee, your thoughts briefly.
20:54Yeah, I mean the challenge is that it's not only kids who read less books.
20:58It's everybody.
20:59I mean, look at the adults.
21:01Look how we are behaving.
21:03Good point.
21:03So if we want to change this, I think you need an all of society approach.
21:07Because the kids will not start taking up books if their parents are still on their phones.
21:12So we would need to have like a more broad discussion, I think.
21:15Of course, schools are really important that you read books in schools and you focus a lot on literacy.
21:20But this is then something that would have to involve also parents and adults.
21:24This is obviously a task for all of us.
21:27Now, it's time for our fourth round.
21:34At this point, let's take a look at how Europe's citizens follow the current debates and what they're thinking is.
21:40In other words, what does Europe mean to Europeans today?
21:44Just this week, the European Council on Foreign Relations published a survey that offers some eye opening clues.
21:51For example, 68% of Europeans describe Europe's current situation in terms of general deterioration or loss of normality.
22:0112% speak of it as an awakening and renewal, speaking of Europe.
22:08And 30%, one third, mention Europe's hypocrisy and its failure to stand its ground when confronted by powerful actors.
22:18Now, you're both members of the European Parliament.
22:21When you hear such statements and such findings and such figures, what do you feel? Are you worried?
22:29I'm in politics because I want to change things for the better.
22:32I very much understand the majority in your polls.
22:36Actually, there is a loss of normality.
22:38Nobody can disagree with that for many years already.
22:41And nearly every day something happens that feels for somebody at least above a specific age as a loss of
22:48normality.
22:49I would not call it deterioration what's happening because we dynamically can adapt.
22:54This is something Europe is very good in.
22:56But of course, I mean, we have to change systems.
22:58It's also something the president addressed in her State of the Union speech today.
23:02And the renewal, which is seen by 12%, I think, in your polls, which we have just seen now.
23:07The renewal is not yet here.
23:09We have to work on that renewal.
23:10We need more leadership and more confidence in our societies.
23:13And this feeling of lack of normality, this feeling of deterioration is also fueling extremism to the left, to the
23:19right,
23:20extremism of all kinds, intolerance in our societies.
23:23This is what I'm most concerned of.
23:24Intolerance is relevant for politics, but for society in general, in daily behavior of people, in interaction of people.
23:32We should provide each other with more resonance and personal encounter among citizens.
23:36I like the lack of confidence idea because this is obviously the larger theme here, deep rooted lack of confidence.
23:44And that's why we have the election results that we have right now.
23:47What are your thoughts, Lee?
23:48Well, I mean, I agree both.
23:52I agree, actually, with the analysis on loss of normality.
23:54I mean, that is something I guess we all share, looking at what is going on in the world.
23:59We have all these multiple crises.
24:01We have changing power relations globally.
24:03It means a lot of things are moving.
24:05And so the old kind of truths and the old guidebooks for how to act are no longer occurring.
24:10But I also agree with the ones who criticize this hypocrisy, because I think that a lot of people feel
24:18at this moment when we're seeing this authoritarian, like right wing extremist ideology of, I would say, both Vladimir Putin
24:26and Donald Trump.
24:27I think they're actually very united in their worldview and ideology, really would like for Europe to step up.
24:35So both to have a very ambitious program for our sovereignty.
24:39So we would not be dependent on any kind of authoritarian actor, but also in a more like value and
24:46policy oriented way.
24:47Like for us to be really a consequent defender of international law and human rights, which unfortunately the European Union
24:55has not been.
24:56To stand our ground against Donald Trump's administration.
25:00I think people miss also this aspect.
25:02That is probably the lack of normality when we look at Washington these days.
25:05OK, now it's time to move on to our fifth and final round.
25:12And as always, we're doing something different.
25:15I'm going to ask you a set of questions and you can only answer with a yes or no.
25:20OK, this has to be a quick round because we are already way ahead.
25:26Was Ursula von der Leyen promising more than the EU can actually deliver?
25:31Leadership means to also draw a vision on the wall.
25:34So the answer is yes, but that's not a bad thing.
25:36OK.
25:37Yes.
25:38Yes.
25:38OK.
25:40Is von der Leyen's coalition becoming too broad to deliver real political change?
25:46No.
25:47Not at all.
25:48There is a parliament with good majorities, as we have seen in this mandate, and we will use it for
25:53the economy and for the security.
25:54OK.
25:55The question is what the majority is.
25:57Can Europe realistically spend more on defense, technology, Ukraine, housing, et cetera, all of this at the same time?
26:05With an increased budget, yes.
26:08The one goes together with the other.
26:10If the economy is good, we can spend in housing.
26:12And this is why we have to get the economy moving forward.
26:15Should the EU borrow jointly again to finance European investment?
26:20Absolutely.
26:21I think own resources, also Eurobonds, and especially the investments unit when it comes to the savings that are there
26:27in Europe is extremely important.
26:29I think own resources should have first priority, but I'm not against joint borrowing if needed.
26:33OK.
26:34Should Canada become a member of the EU?
26:38Now I have you.
26:41I mean, personally.
26:42Yes or no?
26:43So, I will not say no.
26:45I have nothing against Canada, really.
26:47At some point.
26:47Sure.
26:48But against the EU, obviously.
26:50OK.
26:50There are other countries that we need to focus on first.
26:53OK.
26:54Yes or no?
26:54Very short.
26:55Yes or no, Canada?
26:56Yes.
26:56OK.
26:56Good.
26:57And that final answer brings us to the end of this live edition, a very lively of The Ring.
27:03Thanks again to Lee Andersson and Lukas Mandel for a fascinating conversation here from the European Parliament.
27:09Thanks to our audience at home.
27:12If you like, you can send us your comments to TheRing at Euronews.com.
27:16We'd love to have your feedback.
27:18That's it for today.
27:19I'm Stefan Grobe.
27:20See you soon on Euronews.
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