The speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the state of the Union was largely predictable. As expected, it revolved mainly around the current energy crisis resulting from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Union has proposed a framework of measures, such as an electricity price cap, which will limit prices and ease the pressure on citizens and industry. I welcome this measure and would like to see it adopted as quickly as possible, as a coordinated response to the crisis will prevent differences from arising between Member States, which will be responsible for its implementation. What I regret in this area is the absence of more ambitious measures, such as a price cap on gas through joint purchases of imported gas. Even though an agreement has been reached among the Member States, there is no consensus yet on how the cap should be implemented. What is needed is a comprehensive and sustainability-oriented reform of the functioning of the Energy Union, which – also according to the European Commission President – is not working. I also missed a blueprint for more ambitious measures in the area of easing price pressures, mainly in the form of social measures for citizens or increased investment in the green transition, which could be done by setting up a dedicated fund (along the lines of the Recovery and Resilience Facility) or, alternatively, through the SURE programme or even a supplemented RepowerEU plan.

On the other hand, the President’s announcement of the creation of a new European Hydrogen Bank, to which €3 billion will be allocated from the Innovation Fund, is important, particularly from the perspective of achieving EU energy independence by ensuring sufficient renewable energy sources, as hydrogen can be an important tool to fill the energy and investment gap. The expansion of the hydrogen market will be based on matching supply and demand and is directly linked to the stated objectives of the RepowerEU plan.

The Commission President devoted a large part of her speech to the war, developments and the situation in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the European Union has taken a united approach to helping Ukraine and its people, as well as all those who have fled as refugees to safe havens in Member States. The extremely important message in this area focuses precisely on this solidarity, and the President has announced that the kind of behaviour we have now shown must be the new standard for future migration policy issues. The EU’s migration policy is poorly regulated and even the new 2020 Pact on Migration lacks a sustainable system in place that would work in a fair, quick and efficient manner. As I have often stressed, the Union’s migration policy must be impartial, fair and consistent with the respect for fundamental human rights, which is why I have high expectations of the announced legally binding solidarity in this area.

After the EU granted Ukraine candidate status in June this year, President von der Leyen announced Ukraine’s integration into the European Single Market and the area of free movement. This is a major and important step which – in the post-war situation and once normal trade has resumed – will have good economic effects for the whole Union. Still, I cannot ignore the bitter aftertaste of this positive news, thinking of the Western Balkan countries, which have held candidate status for many years without similar benefits. Despite being high on the priority list in the previous annual addresses, there has been no real movement towards the EU’s enlargement, and in this year’s address, the Western Balkans only merited a fleeting mention by the President. Mostly as a sign of courtesy. But repetition of empty promises only undermines the Union’s credibility further, both outside and within the Union.

The European Union, like many other countries around the world, finds itself in a situation of record low unemployment. Nevertheless, we are facing an unusually high number of job vacancies, which is a direct reflection of misdirected education systems. During the current term, we have repeatedly pointed to the need to overhaul both the general education system and vocational education and training, as well as to the need to acquire new skills for the professions of the future. I am therefore delighted about the announced increase in investment in vocational education and training, and I welcome the President’s decision to make 2023 the European Year of Skills. I hope that the already established Skills Agenda for Europe will be placed at the forefront of these endeavours.

In the area of health, where the EU played an important role in the efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic (notably by setting up a strategy for vaccine production and distribution and the COVAX Facility), very important strides have also been made in the functioning of the European Health Union, the EU4Health programme, the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, and in promoting the EU’s single market for digital health services and products through the creation of the European Health Data Space. It is also time to take important steps in the field of mental health, as mental health issues affect 84 million Europeans. It really is high time to create adequate, accessible and affordable support and help for all citizens, which is something the European Parliament has long been striving for.

Perhaps the most unexpected element of the address was von der Leyen’s strong message in support of a convention to reform the EU as such, including by amending the basic treaties on the functioning of the EU, which was, after all, one of the main conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe and therefore a citizens’ demand. In fact, as MEPs, we have been pushing in this direction for quite some time.

Another important item was the announcement of the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, as the current one is outdated and unrealisable. In times of constant crises, countries need to be allowed a certain investment flexibility to respond effectively. I, for one, would have liked to see more flexibility in investments in digitalisation and the green transition.

I am pleased that the Commission President has reiterated her determination to uphold the rule of law both inside and outside the EU, and I sincerely hope that this will soon be translated into action. We have various mechanisms and levers in place to put pressure on Member States that do not respect the EU’s fundamental values, but we are failing to apply them consistently. I am referring in particular to the freezing of EU funds for Hungary under the triggered Rule of Law mechanism, and to the intransigence as regards the disbursements from the Resilience and Recovery Facility to countries that violate the rule of law or fail to meet the agreed milestones. I welcome the Defence of Democracy package, which could round off the mechanisms already in place and, at the same time, add new ones to focus on corruption.

To sum up: The President’s emotionally charged speech was not perfect and left many questions unanswered, but I am pleased that, despite the extremely difficult times in the face of the energy crisis, the President has not forgotten the objectives of the Green Deal. In her speech, she highlighted many of the right issues and proposed some good and extremely important solutions, which I really hope will not remain just that – proposals.

– Irena

On the margins of the annual State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – SOTEU 2022, MEP Irena Joveva attended the State of the Union debate at Hiša EU (House of the EU) on Wednesday, 14 September. In her opinion, von der Leyen’s address was predictable, or at least unsurprising. It contained some positive announcements, but also omitted many topics. Regarding the President’s mention of the Western Balkan countries, the MEP observed that the EU should finally stop giving false hopes and promises which it fails to keep.

According to Joveva, what we have been hearing much too often are merely wishes and ideas on how the Western Balkans should become a part of the EU. She believes that the Commission President is right to touch on the Western Balkans in her annual State of the Union address, but she is also convinced that without shifts in the EU’s decision-making system, no progress can be achieved. She criticised the system of consensus required in the Council, where some Member State leaders often pursue narrow vested interests, while the European Parliament and the European Commission have no competence to decide on the progress of the Western Balkan countries towards EU accession.

The MEP assessed the President’s speech as rather general, despite at times containing some specific announcements, where the biggest concern is their implementation.

Joveva opined that the Commission President had failed to sufficiently address social issues and the media, such as the European Media Freedom Act, which is to be proposed this week, and there was scant mention of the rule of law.

Nevertheless, Joveva praised the Commission President for highlighting in her speech the area of mental health, which does not receive attention it ought to. She expressed her satisfaction that the report on the impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU was expected to be adopted during this week’s plenary session, to which she contributed as a rapporteur on behalf of the Renew Europe group.

The speech by the European Commission President and MEP Joveva’s contribution to the debate can be viewed HERE.

Below you will find a short statement by Irena Joveva (Renew Europe), MEP and Vice-Chair of the Delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, on the occasion of the agreement reached in the EU to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

“I could sum up the current developments in two words: at last! The decision to open accession negotiations has unfortunately come (much too) late due to a politicised process in which the European Union has lost a lot of credibility in the region and, most importantly, people have lost trust. However, as today is really not the day to dwell on the past, I only want to believe that this decision will put an end to the unfulfilled promises and vetoes that for several years have unjustifiably prevented the two countries and their citizens from taking a well-deserved step forward. I also hope that today’s decision will give new impetus to faster and more decisive reforms in the region, and it could also trigger reflection on the reform of decision-making in the EU. The assessment of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that this is a historic decision is correct. I am hopeful that this decision will lead swiftly to the actual EU membership of North Macedonia and Albania.”

I am proud to announce that I am now a full member of a second committee in the European Parliament, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs!

So far, I have been a substitute member of this committee, as I continue to be of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and have “only” been a full member of the Committee on Culture and Education. It is not often the case that an MEP gets full membership (with voting rights) of two committees, therefore I consider it a great honour and I trust that this, too, is a testament to my work so far.

This year, the committee will have a number of key social-affairs-related documents to deal with. The three most important ones, in my view, include the legislation on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work, the recommendation on minimum income, and a European strategy to strengthen long-term care and early childhood education and care.

Of course, several other legislative proposals are already in the pipeline, such as the one concerning the coordination of social security systems, which aims to further modernise the EU rules for coordinating social security systems to make them clearer and fairer. Coordination will not replace established national systems, but rather determine equal minimum standards of social security provision for everyone. And then there is the issue of an adequate minimum wage in the EU. The directive will establish a balanced framework for the provision, setting and updating of statutory minimum wages based on national criteria to promote their adequacy, and for the enforcement of measures to promote collective bargaining in wage formation. It also aims to reduce the gender pay gap.

And speaking of the latter, I simply must mention another proposal being examined, i.e. on equal pay for equal work between men and women. This principle has been enshrined in the EU Treaties since 1957, yet significant differences still exist. Thus, this legislative proposal establishes a transparency mechanism – access to information on pay levels, which is crucial for combating gender-based pay discrimination.

I am already looking forward to new challenges as I move from the bench to the pitch in my “new” committee.

– Irena

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, MEP Irena Joveva was invited by Europe Direct Zasavje to participate in a discussion with young people on digitisation and distance learning during the COVID-19 epidemic. The event was organised as part of the European Year of Youth. Joveva stressed, in particular, that she would wish both the European Parliament and the Slovenian school system to preserve the good technological gains made over the last two years.

The young participants began by presenting their experience from the period and describing how they had managed to cope with distance learning. Asked about the advantages of distance learning, they pointed out that there was no need to travel to the place of study and that in many cases professors put more effort into lectures than they do in the classroom. Furthermore, distance learning has exposed young people to new online tools and ways of working that they were previously unfamiliar with.

On the other hand, the biggest disadvantage of distance learning was the lack of socialising and the inability to spend time together. They added that not all teachers and professors knew how to use modern technology, which meant that some lectures were of poorer quality and as a result they had to do a lot by themselves.

According to the young audience, the key factor underpinning the success of distance learning is a stable internet connection. They stressed that the lack of financial resources for IT equipment can leave many students mentally distressed because they are unable to afford it. This assessment of the situation was echoed by the MEP, who added that the epidemic had worsened the mental state of young people in general, and that this issue has only recently come to the forefront of various policy debates.

During the discussion, some young people pointed out that a lot of new equipment has been purchased for distance learning, which schools and universities could also use in the future. Joveva agreed, believing that the benefits of the technological advances made during the epidemic should be preserved to the greatest extent possible. She mentioned the example of electronic voting introduced in the European Parliament, which has made it possible to better monitor the votes cast by MEPs, making voting fully transparent. In her view, this allows for a more democratic and fairer approach.

Joveva also finds it unacceptable that so many young people still do not have access to the internet, computers and other basic IT equipment. The main actor in this respect is the state, as it has the power to regulate the school system.

“I want everyone to have access to IT equipment and other electronic devices by 2022.”

The young participants went on to express their wish to see the teaching materials converted into electronic versions, as this would make them more accessible to all pupils and students.

At the end of the event, Joveva thanked everyone for their comments and insights, and especially welcomed the concept of the event that was truly youth-centred and did not just provide a platform for the monologues of political decision-makers. She stressed that she would be happy to participate in similar events in the future and introduced the Ideas Transcending Boundaries website to the young participants.