Von der Leyen responds to Draghi: Europe must boost its ability to act in a more volatile world

Brussels – Ursula von der Leyen is not arguing with Mario Draghi. Still, she is keen to reiterate that the Commission “is fully committed” to working to remove the obstacles blocking the development of the internal market. 

In an editorial published in El Mundo and other newspapers, the Commission President responds to what the former ECB President said during
his speech at the Rimini Meeting on Friday.

 “For years, the European Union believed that its economic dimension, with 450 million consumers, would itself bring geopolitical power and leverage in international trade relations. This year will be remembered as the year in which that illusion evaporated,” Draghi said, claiming that US President Donald Trump had forced “a rude awakening” for the 12-star Community. 

Closing her editorial that defends the agreement, which “represents a deliberate choice: stability and predictability over escalation and confrontation,” von der Leyen states that “most importantly, in Europe, we must strengthen our own capacity to act in a more volatile world. That task starts at home, by completing our single market.” According to von der Leyen, “as Mario Draghi rightly noted, ‘high internal barriers and regulatory fragmentation are far more harmful to growth than any tariff imposed by a third country.'”

She notes that “trade between EU Member States is currently less than half the volume of intra-state trade in the United States. If Europe is to realize its potential fully, this is the most urgent challenge ahead. From cutting red tape to boosting cross-border services, we know what it takes to unlock European competitiveness, and this European Commission is fully focused on delivering it.”

“Europe continues to think long-term,” the Commission president assured. Therefore, “it’s up to us to complete our single market, boost our competitiveness and the sustainability of tomorrow’s industries, and ensure that Europe remains a pillar of stability in an increasingly uncertain world. If we want a strong and independent Europe, we must have both the ambition to shape it and the unity to do so.”