A Fractured Union: Von der Leyen’s Speech Fails to Unite Divided Europe

It was notable that while most members of the European Parliament (MEPs) stood to applaud her final message, “Long live Europe”, neither Jordan Bardella of France’s anti-establishment National Rally party nor a representative of right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined in.

This is hardly surprising. While von der Leyen championed “European values”, she also celebrated the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban, warned of the threat posed by ultranationalists and supported linking European funds to “democratic standards” that have previously been used against right-wing governments in the bloc.

Even as the EC president painted a picture of a union eager to “win back the hearts of Europeans”, it appears that a significant portion of the bloc’s citizens and political parties are still viewed largely as the enemy within.

Canada and EU Enlargement

The major theme of von der Leyen’s speech was that amid global and internal crises, from wars to climate change, the way forward for Europe is to increase Brussels’ power and expand the bloc.

Chief among these proposals was an announcement that Europe wants to deepen ties with Canada by opening the door to associate membership.

The news came as something of a surprise. Although Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has made no secret of his desire for a closer alliance with the EU, he had previously downplayed the idea of associate membership.

It is not yet known what such membership would entail, but with mentions of Carney and Canada receiving loud applause, and with the Canadian prime minister in the room, it is clear that both sides are serious about reaching a deal.

There were shout-outs, too, for Ukraine and Moldova over the efforts they have made in their bids for membership, as well as a rebuke for Serbia over celebrations seen during the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.

Threats to Europe

Central to von der Leyen’s speech was a catalog of threats to Europe’s independence, particularly its economic and political integrity.

These ranged from climate change, with von der Leyen calling the summer of 2026 the “summer of truth” in this regard, to trade deficits with China, wars around the globe and on Europe’s borders and, without directly spelling it out, the bloc’s overdependence on America.

Von der Leyen’s response to these challenges was, effectively, to propose increasing Brussels’ power and tightening cohesion.

On the economic front, this would mean expanding efforts to integrate the European market, putting it on a stronger footing as it renegotiates its trade relationship with China and seeks to combat US dominance.

On the policy front, it would mean further linking European funds to democratic standards and European values, more on this later, and strengthening security and defense arrangements, including a NATO-like security pact involving Canada and the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqH-9bc9zeg

To tackle migration, she proposed an emergency framework that would allow national capitals to respond quickly to threats posed by mass border crossings. She specifically cited Ceuta and called for significant investment in Europe’s border agency, Frontex.

As debate continues over the next European budget, von der Leyen also hinted at the need to increase the taxes from which Brussels draws its revenue.

More Power to Brussels

All these moves would see European authorities gain more control over the economy and command a bigger budget, even as the EP wants Brussels to shed some of the weight of its bloated bureaucracy.

However, while many on the right would like to see the EU’s overweight bureaucracy go on a diet, pro-sovereignty advocates will be watching warily to see where the cuts are made.

Europe’s mechanisms were designed to be slow in order to protect national sovereignty and democratic consensus. Von der Leyen is seen as eager to centralize more power in the EC, and her speech will hardly resolve these concerns.

Similarly, calls to enlarge the EU budget will not go down well, even among some of the bloc’s most important supporters.

Rule of Law and Democratic Standards

Perhaps the most contentious – and also for much of the Brussels elite, the most rabble-rousing – portions of the speech related to internal threats posed by anti-European and ultranationalist elements.

She claimed there is “a battle of narratives” seeking to “weaken confidence in Europe”, asking if the bloc wants to “let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians”. 

These forces, von der Leyen argued, thrive on disinformation and are a threat to democracy. It was in this context that she stressed the importance of Europe’s democratic standards and the rule of law and celebrated the defeat of former Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, which received a rapturous round of applause.

The EC president claimed that on the day Hungarians voted Orban out of power, they chose Europe and they chose democracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEJLjpgVfoM

Herein lies one of the major difficulties even for supporters of the European project – it has increasingly been captured by a liberal ideology. 

While the rule of law and democratic standards are pillars of democracy, Europe has used them to impose liberal policies around sexuality and gender on more conservative member states, such as Hungary and Poland.

Von der Leyen highlighted that Hungary’s vote unlocked €16.4bn ($19bn) in financial support from Europe and doubled down on moves to link the budget to the rule of law.

But some of Europe’s complaints against Hungary related to its policies on LGBTQ rights, an area that remains highly contested. 

Meanwhile, rather than addressing this and concerns such as the emphasis on regulation over innovation, the EC president attacked ultranationalist forces as anti-democratic and a threat to Europe. In her speech, von der Leyen basically admitted Europe is out of the AI race while championing its AI regulations.

Two Europes

Von der Leyen appears blind to the degree to which European citizens are jaded and fed up with the union, with many believing its best days are behind it.

While polling still finds popular support for a more unified Europe, few see its present iteration as capable of responding to the challenges it faces economically, politically and socially.

At the same time, a growing number of citizens and political parties are critical of the bloc itself, arguing that it is increasingly undermining national sovereignty.

It was unsurprising that after her speech, when Bardella, as leader of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, got his chance to address the chamber, he warned of the “crisis of sovereignty” facing European nations. There are “two Europes”, Bardella argued: one that “writes the rules” and another that has to pay for them.

Nor did it appear that von der Leyen won over the more pro-Brussels left, which criticized the EC president for backsliding on migration and climate change.

In a sense, then, von der Leyen’s speech truly did show the state of the union. It highlighted not the Europe she sought to portray, united around profound European values, but an increasingly fractured continent in which there is no political or cultural consensus.

As the Irish poet W.B. Yeats prophesized more than 100 years ago, “things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”, and Europe’s elites appear unable to grasp that this prediction is fast becoming a political reality.

Instead of delving deeply into the existential crisis facing Europe and the West, von der Leyen presented a myth of European unity that failed to convince MEPs and is increasingly unconvincing to Europe’s citizens.