Ursula von der Leyen delivered on Wednesday her State of the European Union speech, blending past achievements with future ambition.
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00:00 A European Union that answers the call of history.
00:05 This was Ursula von der Leyen's main message in her speech on the State of the European
00:09 Union.
00:10 And by that, the President of the European Commission meant, for this moment in time,
00:15 facing the challenges of the economy.
00:17 As the members of the European Parliament heard, on top of that agenda are China's unfair
00:22 trade practices.
00:24 Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars.
00:31 And their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies.
00:37 This is distorting our market.
00:41 And as we do not accept this distortion from the inside in our market, we do not accept
00:47 this from the outside.
00:50 So I can announce today that the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation
00:57 into electric vehicles coming from China.
01:05 EU competitiveness was another of her key messages to be achieved through more attention
01:10 to small and medium businesses.
01:13 Europe will do whatever it takes to keep its competitive edge, she said, areas in particular
01:18 to focus on the development of AI and clean industry.
01:24 From wind to steel, from batteries to electric vehicles, our ambition is crystal clear.
01:34 The future of our clean tech industry has to be made in Europe.
01:40 This is our task.
01:43 And the Commission President doubled down on European support to Ukraine, announcing
01:47 the intention to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians in the EU.
01:51 She also nudged the EU's doors open to new member states again, championing the enlargement
01:57 of the EU in parallel with its reform, including through a European Convention and treaty change
02:03 if and where it is needed.
02:06 This House has said it out loud.
02:09 The future of Ukraine is in our union.
02:13 The future of the Western Balkans is in our union.
02:17 The future of Moldova is in our union.
02:22 Just nine months ahead of the European elections, she proudly pointed to the delivery of over
02:27 90 per cent of the political guidelines presented in 2019.
02:35 So it is time for Europe to once again think big and write our own destiny.
02:42 This could be interpreted as an election manifesto to lead the next Commission, except she did
02:47 not mention any intentions on her part.
02:49 (audience applauding)
02:52 (whooshing)