Alongside German conservative leaders in Berlin Monday, however, von der Leyen sought to present a united front with her conservative ideological counterparts in Germany, saying the Commission’s goals on deregulation aligned with theirs.
“We are deeply committed to this issue,” von der Leyen said. “This is also evident in the document before us, which incorporates many of our considerations,” she said of the German strategy paper.
“We are determined to bring about change so that in Europe and in the member states we can more quickly and effectively create an environment where companies can grow and develop the global competitiveness they need,” von der Leyen added.
Two key EU files up for discussion are the Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) — which would define a “Made in EU” preference in green public procurement — and the AI Act — both of which Berlin has actively tried to water down.
Jens Spahn, one of the leaders of the conservative parliamentary group, said German lawmakers were eager to debate the exact terms of these initiatives.
“We want free, open markets,” Spahn said. “But we also recognize that we must respond when other economies, such as the U.S. and China, take a different approach. And that is why measures to strengthen and protect our industry are fundamentally the right thing to do. Of course, we are wrangling over exact details.”