N-VA critical after European State of the Union: “Big ambitions must be turned into reality”

In her annual State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a wide range of plans covering areas such as defence, migration and geopolitics. The N-VA delegation in the European Parliament, however, remains critical, stressing that fine words alone are not enough. “We can set ambitious goals, but we also need to deliver on them.”

Economic growth as the foundation for geopolitical strength

According to the N-VA, economic growth received too little attention in the speech, even though delegation leader Johan Van Overtveldt sees it as the foundation underpinning virtually all of Europe’s other ambitions.

“Without stronger growth, we can set ambitious goals for security, defence and geopolitical strength, but we will not be able to deliver on them,” Van Overtveldt warns.

To enable European businesses to compete more effectively on the global stage, the N-VA is calling for urgent action to strengthen the single market, remove barriers to trade and significantly reduce regulation.

The party also believes the EU budget should focus more heavily on research, development and innovation, alongside pan-European investment in strategic sectors such as energy infrastructure, cybersecurity and critical raw materials.

“If Europe wants to strengthen its economic and geopolitical position, we need to invest together in the foundations of our strategic resilience,” Van Overtveldt says.

Businesses are still waiting for change

MEP Kris Van Dijck sees the need for economic reform reflected in the day-to-day reality facing businesses. In his view, a persistent gap remains between the European Commission’s promises and what businesses actually experience on the ground.

“Last year, we heard plenty of promises about strengthening the Competitiveness The extent to which companies in one country can compete with similar companies in another country. A law came into force in Belgium in 1996 to monitor competitiveness. This stipulates that Belgian salaries may not evolve faster than the average of those in the three neighbouring countries. The Central Economic Council (CEC) performs an annual measurement to see if the objectives have been obtained. competitiveness of our industry. Today, I am disappointed to say that hardly anything has changed in practice. The European Commission continues to come up with restrictive and unclear rules. It is high time we gave our businesses the breathing room they desperately need to invest, innovate and grow,” Van Dijck says.

“Europe remains too focused on announcements rather than action”

MEP Assita Kanko sees the same gap between words and results in other areas. “Von der Leyen’s speech relied too heavily on emotion and announcements. What is missing is decisive, concrete policy that genuinely improves people’s lives.”

Kanko points, among other things, to European migration policy.

“This very week, the Christian Democratic group in the European Parliament – von der Leyen’s own political family – refused to back a resolution by right-wing parties criticising the Spanish government’s handling of the Ceuta crisis. When it comes to migration, you obviously cannot deliver right-wing results if you only choose to work with parties on the left.”

Kanko also has questions about the Commission’s new plans to strengthen Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. “This should not simply be about providing additional resources. The priority now should be Frontex’s mandate. There is still too much uncertainty about what Frontex is and is not allowed to do on the ground.”

Support for better online protection for children

Not all of the announced plans have been met with criticism. The N-VA supports the ambition to better protect children from the risks associated with social media. To that end, the Commission announced a Kids Act, which would include a ban on social media for children under the age of 13 and require platforms to demonstrate that their services are sufficiently safe.

“This is absolutely a positive step, and in the coming months I will actively support new legislation in this area. I have previously worked to combat AI applications that can be used to virtually undress women. I now want to build on those efforts by strengthening the online protection of children,” Kanko says.

A stronger Europe without sidelining smaller players

Finally, Van Dijck warns that strengthening Europe’s ability to act must not come at the expense of the influence of smaller Member States and federated entities.

“Smaller Member States and federated entities must not be pushed aside by the power and financial clout of the larger Member States,” he concludes. “The European interest must not become synonymous with the interests of the largest countries alone.”