Not MORE EU less that is what most peole want and keep a NATIONAL identity !
International • 10:51 • Modified at 11:00 Von der Leyen sounds alarm: 'Far-right threatens EU democracy', calls for Union expansion Author : Lotte van Coevorden European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has sounded the alarm about the rise of the far right in Europe. She did so during her acceptance speech for the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen, which is awarded annually to people who work for European unification. Von der Leyen also advocated enlarging the EU with countries such as Ukraine and Moldova, in order to strengthen the union from within.
You have to hear this Von der Leyen sounds alarm: 'Far-right threatens EU democracy', calls for Union expansion
6 min 42 sec In many European countries, the far right is gaining ground. 'Think of Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic', says European reporter Stefan de Vries. But he also points to the Netherlands and France, 'where the radical right has been on the rise for quite some time'. In addition, the political climate in Italy and Germany is also clearly shifting to the right. 'And she is very concerned about that. She also emphasizes that it is not temporary. In her speech yesterday, she said that this development is putting pressure on democracies and that we must be alert to the shifts in the political landscape.'
Read also Slovak PM Fico gets rap on the knuckles by president after flirting with Russia: 'West is the most important' According to Von der Leyen, the concerns of citizens regarding migration and the cost of living should be listened to more. The traditional parties would be wise to understand why people more often vote for far-right parties, instead of just complaining about it. 'But how exactly she sees this is unclear. The European People's Party - the party that Von der Leyen belongs to - has adopted many elements from those far-right parties, such as language. But there are hardly any concrete solutions', says De Vries.
Reduce regulatory burden One of the ways in which the Commission is trying to regain the trust of citizens is by reducing the regulatory burden. 'That is a kind of dumping ground for everything that would not work in the EU', says De Vries. According to him, the fact that the Commission is now tackling this is also somewhat populist. 'There are many rules and laws because citizens have asked for them.'
Read also Commission President concerned about rise of extremist parties in Europe Many people would also be concerned about the approach to illegal immigration and the cost of living and housing, says Von der Leyen. 'And that last point is interesting, because that is not something Europe is responsible for, but the member states themselves. And yet the European Commission wants to play a role in that.' That could help restore people's confidence, says De Vries. 'That would at least be a concrete solution to restore citizens' confidence in Europe.'
Enlargement of the European Union Von der Leyen also advocates EU enlargement, including for Ukraine. 'The country is an official candidate, but negotiating membership takes many years. Even if peace were to come, it would still take a long time.' That is why the Commission President expressed her wish yesterday to accelerate the accession process. That is politically sensitive and is also somewhat critical of the member states, De Vries explains. 'But at the same time she says: “Ukraine shows every day what the real fight for freedom means, and we must reward that, that is why we must act more quickly.”'
De Vries points out that Von der Leyen was one of the first to say after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022 that the country should join the EU. 'To the annoyance of most capitals, who were not at all happy about that.' Then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte also did not consider this an option at the time. 'That has changed a lot in recent years. That Ukraine is a candidate is beyond dispute, but the term; that is another story.'
