Empty words

Von der Leyen mentioned Ukraine seventeen times, peace and inflation barely and sanctions against Russian only once.

Strasbourg, 2023. szeptember 13. Ursula von der Leyen, az Európai Bizottság elnöke az Európai Unió helyzetérõl tartja meg évenkénti beszédét az Európai Parlament strasbourgi üléstermében 2023. szeptember 13-án. MTI/EPA/Julien Warnand Fotó: Julien Warnand

Von der Leyen mentioned Ukraine seventeen times, peace and inflation barely, and sanctions against Russian only once - perhaps she no longer believes in them herself. She has completely forgotten about the corruption in Brussels.

But among thousands of mostly empty words, she correctly highlighted one number: in three hundred days' time, we will be able to vote in EU elections. This year's State of the Union just may have been Von der Leyen's last, for good. Europe needs not only new leadership, but also a new vision that can let go of the derailing migration policy and recognize that the EU is not an empire with a few renegade die-hards on the fringes, but a community of nation states, which continue building it to the extent of their will.

Since the last EP elections, the right has gained strength in many countries. Next year's annual State of the Union may be more relevant from our point of view.

Cover photo: Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, delivers her annual State of the Union address in the European Parliament Chamber in Strasbourg on September 13, 2023. (Photo: MTI/EPA/Julien Warnand)