Press remarks by President von der Leyen on the first 100 days of the 2024-2029 Commission

Good afternoon everyone.

On Tuesday, we will mark 100 days since the College of Commissioners took office. 100 days since 1 December that feel like a lifetime ago. The world around us is changing at lightning speed. Geopolitical shifts are shaking alliances. Decades-old certainties are crumbling. And we still have a brutal war raging at our borders. Despite these turbulent times, this Commission has hit the ground running. From day one, we stayed the course that we had laid out in the Political Guidelines, building on the three pillars – prosperity, security and democracy. 100 days into our mandate we stand by the European choices in the Political Guidelines. And we double-down on them. We appointed the first-ever Commissioner for Defence – a move that now, three months in, feels not just necessary but the right thing at the right time. Because we have clearly entered a new era of harsh geostrategic competition. We see that some shut themselves off, sow uncertainties and strive for short-term gains. I want to be very clear that Europe will stay open, will stand for partnership and outreach. And we offer stability and predictability – valuable features in these times.

From day one, we engaged in building new partnerships and strengthening old ones. With countries and regions, big and small. We forged landmark agreements –– with Switzerland, Mexico and Mercosur. With Mercosur we achieved a major breakthrough after two decades of negotiations and created a market of 700 million consumers while protecting vulnerable sectors. We reignited trade talks with Malaysia and re-engaged with the Caricom countries. And in India, the world's largest democracy, which I visited with the College of Commissioners last week, we deepened cooperation on trade, technology and innovation. I agreed with Prime Minister Modi to aim for a conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement still this year. So for me, forging these partnerships is essential. Because we learned the very hard way that sourcing the products we need from partners we trust, is the best way to avoid overdependencies, vulnerabilities and blackmail. And this is then of course the best way to build strong economies.

All this work – prosperity, security and democracy – begins at home. Therefore, let us shed a light on what we did at home. First on prosperity. Since the start of the mandate, we have delivered eight initiatives to make Europe more competitive. And three more are in preparation. We started with the Competitiveness Compass. This is the translation of the Draghi report into a Commission communication, basically showing the roadmap ahead of us – our North Star for a stronger, more prosperous Europe. It works hand in hand with the Clean Industrial Deal here– supporting energy-intensive industries and clean tech, the joint roadmap for decarbonisation and competitiveness. The day we agreed the Clean Industrial Deal in College, I also discussed it with the European industry at the Antwerp Summit. In parallel, we are zooming in on sectors that are key for Europe's industrial base and are undergoing the biggest transitions. This is the reason why I started engaging directly with the agricultural sector – we now have the Vision for Agriculture and Food. I engaged directly with the automotive industry with the Strategic Dialogue for the automotive industry, which resulted in the Action Plan. And we started the dialogue with the steel industry. The Action Plan on steel will come soon. Other strategic dialogues will follow. In parallel, we are busy cutting red tape. You are aware of our first two omnibuses. And last but certainly not least, this week, I signed a new Pact for European Social Dialogue, and we proposed the Union of skills. Because the social market economy is at the heart of the prosperity of the European economy.

On all these, the direction of travel was always clear. What has changed in these 100 days is the new sense of urgency. Because something fundamental has shifted. Our European values – democracy, freedom, and the rule of law – are under threat. We see that sovereignty but also ironclad commitments are being called into question. Everything has become transactional. So, the pace of change has accelerated and the action that is needed has to be bold and determined.

Consequently, this week brought unanimous support for REARM Europe, a EUR 800 billion package for defence. That is historic. This can be the foundation for a European defence Union. We will drive the REARM Europe plan forward with full force. The idea behind it is: We must unleash the full potential in the face of concrete threats. And if we can team up with other like-minded countries, such as the UK, Norway or Canada, the potential is even greater.

It is important to state that economic strength and Europe's plan to REARM are two sides of the same coin. Europe's economic and innovative potential is an asset for its security. Vice versa, Europe's defence efforts can give a massive boost to a more competitive Single Market in the mid and long term. The upcoming huge investments in Europe's next generation of military equipment and security infrastructure can trigger a powerful tailwind for important industries. Just think of the fast-tracking of the digitalisation, and modernisation of our transport networks. Think of AI applications, quantum computing, secure communication. Think of key technologies like satellite networks, autonomous vehicles and robotics. All of this is on one hand important for Europe's defence but equally important for Europe's competitiveness. SMEs across our Union – we have 2,500 of them in the defence supply chain – will be at the heart of this transformation.

To be successful, we also need to speed up and involve more private investors. We will launch new omnibus packages to further simplify rules and cut red tape – including in the defence sector. And still this month, we will unveil the European Savings and Investments Union – because only an effective, deep and liquid capital market can turn savings into much needed investments. Progress here is no longer a 'nice-to-have.' It is a 'must-have.' In today's world, maintaining Europe as an economic powerhouse is also a matter of collective security.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. This is also true for my Commission. To deal with the challenging way ahead, we need to switch into a preparedness mind-set. This is why, in the next weeks, I will convene the first-ever Security College. This will ensure that the College members receive regular updates on security developments. From external and internal security to energy, defence and research. From cyber, to trade, to foreign interference. Only if we have a clear and in-depth understanding of the threats, including hybrid threats, can we effectively contribute to collective security.

Everything we have done in these first 100 days has been focused on our biggest challenges. And we will keep up the work. On Tuesday – day 100 of this College – we will adopt an ambitious legal proposal on returns. Returns are a key element of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. We will propose common rules for returns – with a new European Return Order and mutual recognition of return decisions by Member States. We want to put in place a truly European system for returns by proposing a regulation with simpler and clearer rules, preventing absconding and facilitating the returns of third-country nationals with no right to stay. Those who are forcibly returned, will be issued with an entry ban. And we will be stricter where there are security risks. We will be assertive, but we will also make sure that we will act in full respect of our obligations under international law and fundamental rights.

To conclude: This Commission is ready to tackle today's crises; we need speed, scale and determination. We have a once-in-a-generation chance to build a stronger, more secure and more prosperous Europe. Let us seize this moment because it is Europe's moment.

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