PNL MEPs identify several positive elements in Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address delivered on Wednesday, primarily concerning security, the development of relations with Canada, the multiannual budget, reindustrialization, the introduction of restrictions for minors on social media, and the expansion of climate change insurance.
"The most important aspect of the message conveyed by Ms. Ursula von der Leyen relates to security. Given that drones are entering Romanian territory on a weekly basis, it is clear that the European Union must possess a rapid reaction capability, an intervention mechanism, and a means to support the security of all citizens. As you will see over the coming year, since legislation will follow this speech, there will be significant work in this area, and Romania will benefit from European security policies," stated PNL MEP Gheorghe Falca during a meeting with journalists in Strasbourg.
He added that the clear message for Romanian citizens is that "the European Union is preparing and continuing to invest in this field, because neither hybrid warfare nor Russia's other forms of aggressive warfare are ceasing; we have an obligation to defend every citizen of the European Union and, as the Commission President stated, every square meter of the EU."
Siegfried Muresan, Vice-Chair of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament, stated that the European Commission President's speech on Wednesday "was a historic and reform-oriented speech."
"It was a historic speech because, for the first time, an invitation was extended to a non-EU state to become an associate member of the European Union. This means we will cooperate more closely with Canada in the field of security. Canada is one of NATO's 12 founding members, and we share much in common regarding the protection of citizens. We will increase our efforts in economic and trade exchanges. Romania is one of the first EU member states to have ratified the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada," Siegfried Muresan stated.
He noted that Ursula von der Leyen's speech was also reform-oriented, as the Commission President clearly demonstrated the existence of new challenges facing the EU bloc.
"Artificial intelligence, combating and preventing climate change, and assisting farmers in the event of droughts, floods, or forest fires are all areas where the European Union will invest more. Security and the protection of citizens will be the European Union's top priority in the period ahead," the PNL MEP stated.
He also spoke about the "determination" with which the Commission President pledged to protect EU citizens, including minors, online. "To establish a proper relationship between citizens and tech giants, social media networks included, the European Parliament proposes generating an EU own resource from digital tech giants. These companies, the world's largest digital corporations, currently enjoy free, unrestricted access to a single market of over 400 million consumers, bombarding European citizens with all kinds of information, sometimes even incorrect data. It is only natural that the relationship between the citizen and tech giants should work to the citizen's benefit," he stated.
Therefore, Muresan explained, the European Parliament's official position is to introduce an EU own resource linked to these tech giants.
"We will use this own resource to guarantee sufficient funding for farmers, research, innovation, and competitiveness and above all, for citizen security in the years to come," he assured.
PNL MEP Virgil Popescu noted "a much more moderate tone regarding the Green Deal," as well as "a shift back towards competitiveness, industrialization, and affordable prices"; he also observed "quite a harsh stance taken by the European Commission President regarding China."
He noted that this comes alongside the legislation to accelerate industrialization, currently under discussion, which the European Commission has submitted to the EU legislature.
"It is clear that we must take action; the proposal is to ensure 'Made in Europe' status for critical sectors, such as Net Zero technologies, the automotive industry, heavy industry, and steelmaking. This implies a push for the reindustrialization of Europe and the relocation of industries from outside the European area to within the EU. In the energy sector, it means aiming for domestic production, going beyond mere battery assembly to the actual manufacturing of cells and batteries, as well as inverters, within Europe. It also entails protecting critical infrastructure against hybrid attacks and the risk of, let's say, remote commands that could compromise European energy systems," the former Energy Minister explained.
"Essentially, judging by what I saw today, the European Commission is finally grounding itself in current realities and seeking a sensible path forward for Europe alongside its traditional partners. I am also pleased that the Prime Minister of Canada was here today and that we have taken this first step. Who knows, perhaps other associate members will follow suit," he added.
Daniel Buda, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture (AGRI), stated that Ursula von der Leyen had announced a shift he has been advocating for in the Parliament for nearly two decades: the "Alliance for Climate Change Insurance." "Unfortunately, it has been found that only 25% of these challenges or climate disasters, such as droughts, floods, and so on, could be insured until now, as insurers were refusing to cover them. However, there is now an awareness of this issue, and the European Commission is set to introduce a firm plan establishing mechanisms to ensure coverage for risks associated with these calamities, droughts, floods, and the like, for farmers and others," stated Buda, head of the Romanian delegation to the EPP Group.
"Until now, unfortunately, the financial burden of these events fell on national budgets, which, of course, have their own limitations. For instance, farmers told me yesterday [Tuesday] that in Romania, there is a backlog of around two years regarding drought compensation payments," added the PNL MEP.
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