The European Commission President is “very slow” to make the necessary decisions on the current challenges facing the European Union (EU), Charles Michel, who headed the European Council during von der Leyen’s first term as Commission chief from 2019 to 2024, said.
His comments came ahead of von der Leyen’s highly anticipated annual State of the European Union address before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, in which she outlined her vision and priorities for the coming year.
Michel, however, was focused on her failure to fulfil the promises made in previous years.
“I’m observing that, today, the EU is facing complicated challenges because there are more and more conflicts; there is a war on European soil, and we are in a difficult position in terms of competition with China and the United States,” Michel told Euronews’ flagship morning programme Europe Today.
“We should focus on the core issues, and the core issue is not about communication; it’s not about more initiatives. The Commission over the last years launched 400 initiatives. But where are the deliveries? Where is the improvement? When I meet entrepreneurs, they are disappointed because they don’t feel a sense of urgency.”
Over-regulation makes EU weaker
Michel argued that when it comes to strengthening the EU’s competitiveness, identified by Michel as the top priority facing the bloc today, there is a deadlock.
“There is a question, a very simple question: ‘Is the EU a better place to invest? Is the EU a better place to innovate?’ We’ve seen a lot of regulations, over-regulation,” he said.
Michel went on to say that there has been no significant progress when it comes to, for example, the capital markets union – essentially a single market for capital across the EU identified as a key pillar for strengthening competitiveness.
“It makes us weaker, too weak in the current context.” While conceding this is not entirely von der Leyen’s fault, he did emphasise that “she has a responsibility,” adding that “there is no doubt that she is very slow in making her decisions. I have the impression there is a lack of focus on what matters.”
The Commission chief addressed this matter in her speech on Wednesday, arguing that, with the EU single market and “world-class industry and services,” the bloc has the foundations to compete and scale alongside major global powers such as China and the US, but that it is still too fragmented.
Von der Leyen argued the Commission is delivering on this front. “We now have the political agreement on the One Europe, One Market Roadmap. And together, by the end of next year, we can and must complete this historic overhaul of the Single Market.”
‘Blindly following US’
According to Michel, von der Leyen’s approach to dealing with the US under Donald Trump’s presidency has also put Europe’s security at risk. She was criticised by MEPs, among others, for the so-called “Turnberry Agreement”, the EU-US trade deal agreed to last summer, which some saw as lopsided.
“I have the impression that she decided to follow the United States blindly, even when it was against the fundamental interests of the European Union,” Michel said.
“There was a kind of naivety, I think, and many of the European leaders – a few years ago I was one of them – made it very clear that it was important to build European sovereignty, this European independence that now she is starting to talk about, but a lot of time was lost.”
However, Michel said he “remains optimistic” because “there is no Plan B.”
“I think it is a question of time, and sooner or later there will be a clearer understanding that now it’s time to act; it’s time for a reset of this European project, and for this we need to focus on the core issues: businesses, economic development, making the lives of our entrepreneurs easier, smarter regulation, more investments. This is what is key, in my opinion.”