Johan Van Overtveldt: “Commission President von der Leyen becomes ‘madame blowtorch’”

In her State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a package of measures that the EU intends to take to tackle the energy crisis. “Her intentions are good, but I am still waiting for some substance,” responds MEP Johan Van Overtveldt in the De Afspraak TV programme on Friday. “von der Leyen is becoming somewhat of a ‘madame blowtorch’: she makes big statements and promises every year, but in reality, not much of it comes to fruition.”

Van Overtveldt is referring to the coronavirus period, when the Commission also reacted much too late, he says. “Had the Commission done its job, we would have had much less bidding between the Member States for that last bit of gas in the summer months, and prices would not have skyrocketed as much.”

Putin jumped into a European energy vacuum

“We are always inclined to say that this is all Putin’s fault, but energy prices were already rising months before the Russian invasion. This has everything to do with the fact that many – with Frans Timmermans in the lead – have completely overestimated the transition period from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Investments, such as nuclear energy, have been stopped. Putin has cleverly jumped into that vacuum.”

Focused and responsible policies

The measures to reduce energy bills are now coming from everywhere, but Van Overtveldt warns: “In the context of the current crisis, you can jump forward to the future and derail the budget, or you can pursue a focused and responsible policy in the context of a sound budget.”

Prevent worse

Johan Van Overtveldt is referring to Wallonia’s catastrophic financial situation. “It is absolutely not inconceivable that this situation starts to take hold at the rating agencies and the like, and that this will also cause Belgium to get into a tailspin, resulting in poor credit conditions.  Our federal debt is well above 100%. Then you must pay close attention to what you are doing, keep your affairs in order and thus keep an eye on your budget, no matter how urgent things are. That way, you prevent much worse in the long run.”